KABUL – The US military yesterday denounced the release of a video showing a soldier captured in Afghanistan, describing the images as Taliban propaganda that violated international law.
The video shows Pte Bowe Bergdahl in traditional Afghan dress, being prompted in English by his captors to call for US forces to be withdrawn from Afghanistan.
The US military confirmed the identity of the Ketchum, Idaho, native, saying he served with the first battalion of the 501st parachute infantry regiment. His identifying dog tags are displayed to the camera by his captors in the video.
“We condemn the use of this video and the public humiliation of prisoners. It is against international law,” US military spokesman Col Greg Julian said. “We are doing everything we can to return this soldier to safety.”
The US military has been distributing leaflets seeking the release of Pte Bergdahl, missing since late June.
Military spokeswoman Capt Elizabeth Matthias said it was the first case she was aware of in which a US service member was held captive by the enemy in Afghanistan, although there have been similar cases in Iraq.
In the video, portions of which were posted on YouTube, Pte Bergdahl appeared with his head shaven and a slight beard, wearing traditional grey, loose-fitting Afghan shalwar kameez clothing.
He appears to be in good health and is shown drinking tea and eating bread and rice.
“I am scared. I’m scared I won’t be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner,” he says.
“I have my girlfriend who is hoping to marry. I have my grandma and grandpas. I have a very, very good family that I love back home in America.”
A voice off camera prompts: “Miss them.”
The soldier continues: “And I miss them every day that I’m gone. I miss them and I’m afraid that I might never see them again and that I’ll never be able to tell them that I love them again. I’ll never be able to hug them.”
Later, the voice prompts: “Any message to your people?”
“Yes. To my fellow Americans who have loved ones over here, who know what it’s like to miss them: you have the power to make our government bring them home,” Pte Bergdahl says.
Col Julian said Washington would not give in to the captors’ demands: “Basically they would like us to go home. That is just simply not going to happen. We are here to support the Afghan government to improve security and we will stay as long as the Afghan people want us here.”
In a separate incident, a civilian helicopter crash killed 16 people at a Nato base in southern Afghanistan.
Capt Ruben Hoornveld, a Dutch Nato spokesman, said there was no enemy involvement in the crash, which occurred as the helicopter was taking off at the sprawling Kandahar air field.
Russia’s Interfax news agency described the helicopter as an Mi-8 transporter, operated by a Russian company, and said it had 17 passengers and three crew on board. It put the death toll at 15.
The nationalities of those killed were not immediately known.
It was the second crash involving a Soviet-era helicopter in a week. Six Ukrainian crew members died when an Mi-26 transport helicopter crashed in Helmand last Tuesday.
Nato and US forces rely heavily on aircraft for troop and cargo movement in a country where travel by road is difficult. – (Reuters)