Soldier looking for kidnapped soldier in Paktika Provinceguardian.co.uk,US forces were today frantically hunting for one of its soldiers believed to have been kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan, the first to be taken since America first began operations in the country in 2001.The soldier, whose unit is based in eastern Paprika province, was not involved in the ongoing operation in the south of the country. He was found to be missing during a roster check on Tuesday morning and is believed to be held by a Taliban faction linked to a string of attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.A Pentagon spokeswoman, Captain Elizabeth Mathias, said today: "We understand him to be have been captured by militant forces. We have all available resources out there looking for him and hopefully providing for his safe return."She added: "We are not providing further details to protect the soldier's well being."But the Afghan police general Nabi Mullakheil disclosed the location of the kidnap as Mullakheil area in Paktika, where there is a US base.The Pentagon has requested the help of Pakistan forces to seal the border. Pakistan officials have also asked villagers along the border to provide information if the soldier's captors pass through their area or asks for help.It is highly unusual for the US military to disclose that one of its soldiers has been kidnapped, especially when operations are still underway to try to get him back.Unconfirmed reports said the soldier had been based at a small combat outpost and had apparently gone off with three Afghan soldiers into a dangerous area.A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujaheed, said he had no information about the soldier being held by a Taliban group. But another Taliban spokesman said he was being held by an insurgent faction linked to Sirajuddin Haqqani, a powerful figure based in Pakistan who controls large parts of Afghanistan along the border.Haqqani has been blamed for a string of attacks including the suicide bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul last year that killed more than 50.Military commanders are desperate to prevent the soldier's captors taking him across the border into Pakistan where al-Qaida is still a presence in the border areas and in cities such as Peshawar.The kidnap could provide the Taliban with a major media coup: while individual fatalites from Afghanistan or Iraq have become almost routine and are largely ignored by the US media, the fate of a single soldier in Taliban hands could attract enormous attention.Previous high-profile kidnappings in Iraq, in which videos of abductees were posted on the internet, have had a big emotional impact on the US public. Those victims were mostly civilians and contractors, while individual soldiers were taken in Iraq were usually killed soon afterwards.Previous overseas kidnapping of soldiers and civilians have had a huge resonance for Americans. One of the reasons for the still poor relationship between the US and Iran is the embassy hostage siege in Tehran after the 1979 revolution, when Americans across the country tying yellow ribbons to trees as a symbol of solidarity.The soldier's family has been informed of his disappearance.Judith Kipper, , director of the Middle East programme at the Institute of World Affairs,said she thought the US cared more about hostages than other countries: "The Iranian hostage siege was hideous but it was not a matter of national security, and look how revved up we got about that."

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  • Then we will have to have special groups there that will go in and make the costs so high that they will be forced out or removed say for every soldier taken 1,000 of the country people that habour them
  • My prayer is that he comes home safe.
  • It is just appauling the SRM (state run media) hasn't reported on this until the UK broke the story today. This serviceman was taken hostage on Jume 30th.
  • Don't get me wrong, My prayers go out to this Soldier, his family, friends and comrades at arms, and its not his fault!

    This is what you get when you go out and try to play "paddy-cake" with the enemy with unreasonable rules of engagement.

    No! Rules of engagement should be; You go through the country and kill the enemy take all the spoils and burn everything else!
    And if you don't like that then don't start a war with us PERIOD.
    But no instead you have some fools in congress afraid they'll hurt someone's feelings trying "and I must say doing a very pour job of it" when it should be the Soldiers on the battlefield calling the shots as they come up and not having to call some senator to find out if it's alright to kill the enemy.

    No for this I blame congress and the fools making polices.
  • I pray for his safety, return and peace and for his family.
    • Crash you are right!
    • Ronald, I agree. I pray for his safety, but how in the name of God could this soldier forget all his training and make a mistake like this? He left with no body armor or weapon. I served in Korea and twice in Vietnam and never heard anything like this.
  • Earlier today on FNC it was reported that he was a disaffected soldier and he left his weapon,battle vest behind and left with three Afganies. Could this be a desertion? We have no info on this soldier.
    • I just saw you comment. This could also be a possibility........ No telling what "really" happened to him.

      Forgive my lack of knowledge, but what does FNC stand for? Thanks!

      Also, thank you for your service & your sacriifice!!
  • This is terrible!! The Taliban & the likes are pure EVIL, PURE EVIL!!!!!!!!
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