A U.S. soldier missing from his base in eastern Afghanistan since Tuesday is believed to have been captured by Taliban militants, the military said Thursday.
In a statement issued from U.S. military headquarters in Kabul, officials said "we are exhausting all available resources to ascertain his whereabouts and provide for his safe return."
While we can only hope for his safe return, this does not sound promising:
Agence-France Press reported that a commander of the Taliban's hard-line Haqqani faction claimed Thursday that his militia had captured the soldier in the Yousuf Khail district of Paktika province. The area is along the porous border with Pakistan. That report could not be independently confirmed.
"Our leaders have not decided on the fate of this soldier." the AFP quoted the Haqqani commander, identified only as Bahram, as saying. "They will decide on his fate and soon we will present video tapes of the coalition soldier and our demand to media."
It seems highly unlikely that he will be given counsel, access to courts, culturally sensitive meals, etc. Unfortunately, I think the torture this soldier will face is on a level beyond what are sense of niceties will allow us to comprehend. It will make sleep deprivation, exposure, stress positions, and even waterboarding look like a walk in the park. And I don't think his treatment will be modified by our intention to close Gitmo.
I apologize if this seems snarky as this is a situation that is far too sober. But we do need to be realistic about what we are confronting and it is truly evil. And for you morons on the left, just because George Bush said it doesn't make it any less true.
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