KABUL — The Taliban released a video Friday of an American soldier captured in Afghanistan, showing him apparently healthy but spouting criticism about the U.S. military operation.
In Idaho, Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl’s family pleaded Christmas Day for his release and urged him to “stay strong.” Bergdahl disappeared June 30 while in eastern Afghanistan and is the only known American serviceman in captivity.
The Taliban claimed his capture in a video released in mid-July that showed the young soldier appearing downcast and frightened. He hadn’t been heard from until Friday’s video, in which he looks well and speaks clearly.
It wasn’t known when the video was made, and NATO spokesman Col. Wayne Shanks told The New York Times that it was not evidence that Bergdahl is still alive. He suggested the video may be a pastiche of clips from earlier this year.
“We are not using this as a proof-of-life video,” Shanks told the newspaper.
“It’s still to be determined when it was made, but it could have been made even several months ago. It has a lot of editing pieces,” he said.
“This is a horrible act which exploits a young soldier, who was clearly compelled to read a prepared statement,” said a statement from U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. “To release this video on Christmas Day is an affront to the deeply concerned family and friends of Bowe Bergdahl, demonstrating contempt for religious traditions and the teachings of Islam.”
Lt. Col. Tim Marsano of the Idaho National Guard issued a statement Friday from the family of Bergdahl, who live outside Hailey, Idaho. In their statement, the family urged the captors “to let our only son come home.” And to their son, the family said: “We love you and we believe in you. Stay strong.”
Marsano met with the family Friday morning at their home. He told The Associated Press that the family had not seen the video but had talked to other relatives who had seen it.
Bergdahl, who was serving with a unit based in Fort Richardson, Alaska, was 23 when he vanished just five months after arriving in Afghanistan.
He was serving at a base in Paktika province near the border with Pakistan in an area known to be a Taliban stronghold.
