Defense Department Confirms Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, Being Held Hostage by Taliban as Video Surfaces

The Defense Department has confirmed that Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, Idaho, has been captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The DOD released his name one day after a video surfaced in which he is heard saying he was "scared I won't be able to go home. The Pentagon statement said his status was listed as whereabouts unknown on July 1 and was changed to missing-captured on July 3. He is a member of 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Richardson, Alaska.

The soldier in the video had his head shaved and was seen with the start of a beard. He was sitting and dressed in a nondescript, gray outfit. Early in the video one captor held the soldier's dog tag up to the camera. His name and ID number were clearly visible. He was shown eating at one point and sitting cross-legged.

The soldier gave his name, age and hometown on the video, which was released on a Web site pointed out by the Taliban. He said the date was July 14 and that he was captured when he lagged behind on a patrol.

On July 2, the U.S. military said an American soldier had disappeared after walking off his base in eastern Afghanistan with three Afghan counterparts and was believed to have been taken prisoner. Afghan Police Gen. Nabi Mullakheil said the soldier went missing in eastern Paktika province near the border with Pakistan from an American base. The region is known to be Taliban-infested. Source: Philly.com

I hope the U.S. government will secure his release quickly and that he will be reunited with his family soon. U.S. troops had reportedly distributed two flyers in the area where the soldier disappeared. One of them asked for information on the missing soldier and offered a $25,000 reward for his return. The other reportedly said "please return our soldier safely" or "we will hunt you."