Taliban video of captured soldier follows threat to kill him

July 19, 3:25 AMUS Headlines ExaminerCharisse Van Horn

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A video released by the Taliban Saturday, shows a U.S. soldier who was captured on June 30, 2009, outside of Afghanistan. Though the Pentagon confirmed that a U.S. soldier had been missing, they hadn’t confirmed that he was definitely in the Taliban’s control. The video released Saturday was the first time since June 30, 2009 that anyone in the United States had seen the soldier. The Pentagon has confirmed that the man in the video is the same soldier who went missing in June, yet they have not released his name.

On Thursday, July 16, 2009, local Taliban commanders threatened to kill the U.S. soldier. The spokesperson for the Taliban leader, Mawlavi Sangin, Abdullah Jalali held a phone interview with the Associated Press. In that conversation, Jalali stated that the U.S. soldier would be killed unless the United States stopped air strikes in three areas: Ghazni province, Giro district, and the Khoshamand district in the Paktika province. Before Jalai concluded the phone call, he stated that Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, would determine the ultimate fate of the captured U.S. soldier.

On July 6, 2009, the Taliban released a statement on their website that they were holding the U.S. soldier captive. The statement read,
“Five days ago, a drunken American soldier who had come out of his garrison named Malakh was captured by mujahedeen. ... He is still with mujahedeen,"

The Taliban video of the captured U.S. soldier showed the soldier eating, and answering questions posed to him by his captors. His head was shaved and the beginnings of a beard were visible. Here is a quote, taken from the video. To view a clip from the video, click here: Taliban video of captured U.S. soldier

The soldier, interviewed in English, says he has "a very, very good family" in America.
"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, and I'll never be able to hug them," he says.
When asked about his condition he replies: "Well I'm scared, scared I won't be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner."
A voice off camera asks if he has a message for his "people".
"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," says.
"Please, please bring us home so that we can be back where we belong and not over here, wasting our time and our lives and our precious life that we could be using back in our own country.
"Please bring us home. It is America and American people who have that power."