Heartbreaking Video Of U.S. Soldier Captured By Taliban: “I’m Afraid”

An Internet site has posted a heartbreaking video of Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, the 23-year-old U.S. soldier captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan, expressing fears that he won’t be allowed to go home and see or hug his loved ones again.

It’s a natural expression of fear: in fact, U.S. soldiers captured by in Afghanistan and Iraq have not fared well in many cases. Their capture instantaneously becomes a propaganda showpiece — a video to put on a website. In most cases, impossible demands are later made. Here’s the CNN video which shows major parts of the website’s video:

A United States soldier captured by the Taliban says in a video posted on the Internet he is “scared I won’t be able to go home.”

The soldier was identified Sunday by the Pentagon as Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, Idaho. He was captured June 30 from Paktika province in southeastern Afghanistan.

In the 28-minute video, Bergdahl becomes emotional when he speaks of his family — his parents, siblings, nieces and nephew — and the girlfriend he hopes to marry.

“I have a very, very good family that I love back home in America, and I miss them every day that I’m gone,” he says. “I miss them and I’m afraid I might never see them again and that I’ll never be able to tell them I love them again. I’ll never be able to hug them.”

He adds that he is “scared. I’m scared I won’t be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.” However, he says his captors are treating him “like a guest.”

It was not clear whether some or all of Bergdahl’s remarks were scripted by his captors.

His family has responded, CNN reports:

In a statement released Sunday through the Idaho National Guard, Bergdahl’s family said, “We hope and pray for our son’s safe return to his comrades and then to our family, and we appreciate all the support and expressions of sympathy shown to us by our family members, our friends and others across the nation. Thank you, and please continue to keep Bowe in your thoughts and prayers.

His final remarks sound scripted by his captors (in fact, anyone who has undergone military training will probably attest to the fact these were part of what he was told to say):

Asked by his captors if he had any message for Americans, the soldier says, “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. Please, please bring us home so we can be back where we belong and not over here.”

The AP reports:

A U.S. military spokeswoman in Afghanistan, Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, said the Taliban was using their captive for propaganda.

“I’m glad to see he appears unharmed, but again, this is a Taliban propaganda video,” she said. “They are exploiting the soldier in violation of international law.”

It is unclear from the video whether the July 14 date is authentic. The soldier says that he heard that a Chinook helicopter carrying 37 NATO troops had been shot down over Helmand. A helicopter was shot down in southern Afghanistan on July 14, but it was carrying civilians on a reported humanitarian mission for NATO forces. All six Ukrainian passengers died in the crash, and a child on the ground was killed.

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.

Internet video photo via CNN