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| Hunt for US troops kidnapped by Taliban |
IN HELMAND
THE Taliban have captured two US soldiers in eastern Afghanistan, and are believed to have killed another in the process.
The troops left their base in the nation’s capital Kabul on Friday afternoon and have not been seen since.
They appear to have been ambushed in an area which has recently seen a rise in Taliban activity.
A Taliban spokesman claimed that three US soldiers were initially captured, but that one of them has died.
A spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force confirmed that two servicemen were missing but did not specify the nationalities of the pair.
He said: “Two International Security Assistance Force service members departed their compound in Kabul City in a vehicle and did not return.
“The unit dispatched vehicles and helicopters to search for them and their vehicle, and the search is ongoing.”
It is believed the soldiers were in Logar Province, southeast of Kabul, when they were taken.
Locals reported that U.S. officials apparently issued an appeal on local radio station, offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the soldiers’ safe release.
The report said: "Early this morning two coalition personnel went missing.
“They are believed to have been captured by insurgents somewhere in Logar province," the broadcast said.
"They may have been separated from one another or maybe in the process of being moved to another location."
The governor of the Logar Province said that he believes the missing Americans work for a Provincial Reconstruction Team, a military-led development team.
The area has seen growing insurgent activity over the last few years.
And violence across the entire country has risen sharply in the past six months after the current “surge” brought to 150,000 the number of foreign forces facing the Taliban and two other insurgent groups.
It is the bloodiest summer for foreign forces in Afghanistan since their invasion in September 2001.
Since the beginning of the current six-month tour in April, 44 British soldiers have been killied.
Four US soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in the south of the country yesterday and another was killed in a separate incident.
Another US soldier, Bowe Bergdahl, was captured by the Taliban in nearby Paktika province in June 2009.
His fate and whereabouts remain unclear, though he appeared in a video released by the Taliban in April.
The governor of the province said he believes the missing Americans work for a Provincial Reconstruction Team, a military-led development team.
Samer Gul, the administrative head of Charkh district in Logar, said the Taliban noticed the soldiers when their vehicle passed through a market.
"They stopped in the main bazaar of Charkh district. The Taliban saw them in the bazaar," Gul said. "They didn't touch them in the bazaar, but notified other Taliban that a four-wheel vehicle was coming their way."
Gul said the soldiers were captured following a shootout with the Taliban.
The two unnamed US personnel were wearing standard military camouflage, according to local radio report.
One was described as about six foot tall and weighing 15st 10lbs with blond hair and brown eyes.
The other was described as 13st 8lbs, bald with a thin moustache.
Both men have tattoos, the broadcast said.
Samer Gul added the two men had ignored warnings and set out on their own from their base in Kabul yesterday evening into a known Taliban-held area. Samer Gul, the administrative head of Charkh district in Logar, said the Taliban noticed the soldiers when their vehicle passed through a market.
"They stopped in the main bazaar of Charkh district. The Taliban saw them in the bazaar," Gul said. "They didn't touch them in the bazaar, but notified other Taliban that a four-wheel vehicle was coming their way."
Gul said the soldiers were captured following a shootout with the Taliban.
The two unnamed US personnel were wearing standard military camouflage, according to local radio report.
One was described as about six foot tall and weighing 15st 10lbs with blond hair and brown eyes.
The other was described as 13st 8lbs, bald with a thin moustache.
Both men have tattoos, the broadcast said.
"They didn't pay any attention to the police. Otherwise we could have kept them from going into an insecure area and now this unfortunate incident has happened," he said.
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