The first US war-prisoner in the south of afghanistan part 3/3

Idaho Town Prays for Return of Captured Soldier :
http://video.ap.org/?f=AP&pid=BFbdzFyoTPBQzJeo06_F1PtIjrVVAD4F

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Full Video Release :
http://larawbar.net/detail.php?id=12381&date=2009-07-18

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Associated Press Report :

Soldier's Idaho town kept mum on Taliban capture

HAILEY, Idaho (AP) -- Almost since the news two weeks ago that a U.S. soldier had been captured in Afghanistan, a small circle of people in this central Idaho town of 7,000 have known it was one of their own: a local family's only son who was home-schooled here, danced at the local ballet school and rode his bike everywhere, was in the hands of the Taliban.

Out of respect for Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl Bergdahl's intensely private family and fear that anything they might say could make his situation more precarious, however, neighbors have kept Bergdahl's Hailey origins under wraps. The Pentagon wasn't talking either; all that U.S. Department of Defense officials said in early July was that a U.S. soldier was believed in enemy captivity.

The 23-year-old Bergdahl was serving with a unit based in Fort Richardson, Alaska, earlier this month when he vanished, just five months after arriving in Afghanistan, officials said. He was serving at a base near the border with Pakistan in an area known to be a Taliban stronghold.

Only after Saturday's Internet airing of a 28-minute video in which Bergdahl is shown captive and says he fears never going home again did DOD officials finally release his name. Some of Bergdahl's friends and acquaintances are also slowly opening up, too, with permission from his father.

In an era where captives are valuable commodities in transactions of terror, secrecy is no accident. Just as the New York Times stifled virtually all publicity surrounding the seven-month captivity of journalist David Rohde before his escape last month from a Taliban stronghold, the DOD decided the best for Bergdahl was as little news as possible.

"The Department of Defense has always thought throughout this whole situation that we were going to do whatever we could possibly do with the safety of this soldier in mind," said Lt. Col. Tim Marsano, a spokesman for the Idaho National Guard. "Efforts to secure his return are the primary consideration."

In the video posted Saturday, Bergdahl confirms his name and his hometown. The Pentagon confirmed his identity Sunday - nearly three weeks after he went missing amid conflicting reports.

On July 2, two U.S. officials conceded a soldier had "just walked off" his base near the border with Pakistan with three Afghans after his shift, but wouldn't release details. Four days later, the Taliban claimed "a drunken American soldier had come out of his garrison" and was captured by mujahedeen.

In the case of the New York Times' Rohde, who escaped with an Afghan journalist on June 19, media outlets including The Associated Press cooperated in the secrecy.

In Idaho, it was residents of Hailey, a tight-knit mining town-turned-resort community about 12 miles south of Sun Valley, who worked to keep tight the circle of those who knew of the hostage crisis.

In fact, some neighbors who learned about Bergdahl's plight the old fashioned way - down at the cafe, perhaps, or via a discreet phone call - said Sunday they were respecting the wishes of the Bergdahls by not speaking publicly. The family, described as deeply private, lives about six miles west of Hailey on a remote gravel county road. Out front, a cardboard-and-ink placard wired to the chained and locked front gate reads "No visitors."

One neighbor just down the road ordered reporters off his property, threatening violence.

Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, along with the state's congressional delegation. said Sunday he only learned of Bergdahl's captivity days earlier, but opted to keep the soldier's name quiet until it was officially released.

Sue Martin, owner of Zaney's River Street Coffee House where Bergdahl poured espressos before enlisting in the Army in 2008, had installed a sign on the front counter urging people to keep "Our friend who has been captured in Afghanistan" in their thoughts and prayers.

But she didn't use his name and later removed the sign, partly out of concern that the Bergdahls were against it.

It was only after getting their permission Sunday that Martin spoke about the young man, who she said shared friendly banter with regulars there for their morning shot of brew.

Martin has also returned the sign to the front counter - this time with Bergdahl's full name - along with a large yellow placard taped to the front window that reads "Get Bowe Back."

"It was in light of concern for Bowe's well-being," Martin said. "If the military wasn't releasing his name, we didn't feel we should be releasing it either."

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Associated Press writers Rebecca Boone in Boise and Haven Daley in Hailey contributed to this report.

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[Aylaaq]

I as a Muslim, looking forward for this young man to be released and reunited with his family and his loved one, He is not responsible for anything, he is been ordered and he is doing what he is been told, He is just a solider, he is so young, He should be released.

[showthetruth]

لله العزة و لرسوله و المؤمنين

victory is due to allah s.w.t and his prophet mohamed peace b upon him and the believers

[khalilrabee]

@centexcory the geneva convention can burn itself. he was there fighting muslims, he is a soldier, an enemy and thats that. the geneva convention doesnt decide who is allowed to slaughter and who is not and in what clothes.

taking up for terrorism? u supoprt the greatest terrorist organisations such as the un and nato, a world coalition of terrorists terrorising everyone who doesnt want to live the way they want them to live.

take all ur propaganda garbaghe and geneva convention somewhere else

[centexcory]

@khalilrabee well to be considered a soldier by the Geneva convention you have to be in a uniformed military. You must have a military court system to handle claims to wrong doing. You are right this war end, and I hope when our influence ends so does our money. I love how someone taking up for terrorist accuses me of being brainwashed, that is classic. Why is it cool when a suicide bomber blows up a market place on purpose but its a big deal with NATO does it accidently? Brainwashed? HAHA

[khalilrabee]

@centexcory first we dont need unfirms toi be soldiers, if u think a uniform makes a man a soldier then ur clearly brainwashed. seond we dont see nato forces cutting ppls heads, we see nato burning their entire bodies, raping them and blowing them up while sleeping.

3rd we dont see the captured by nato since the nato doesnt want the world to see how they are tortured and raped.

and this war will end with the end of american and european influence and domination. bye bye

[centexcory]

@khalilrabee how can you call these people soldiers? They don't wear uniforms, they don't follow any rules but their own. Do you see the NATO forces cutting peoples heads off? Nope! Do you see them use the captured as a propaganda tool? Nope! This is a war that will never end because people like you think that just because your muslim your innocent of any wrong doing. You use the Koran like a tool. You twist the words to make them say what you want it to say. This will turn into a Religion War

[britishareawesome69]

PrOpAgAnDa

[tkSMILEY90]

FUCK ALL YOU HAJI MUTHERFUCKERS. US INFANTRY RIGHT HERE. Rudy Acosta (look his name up on youtube) 19 yrs old was killed by a Haji Guard on our base. we pay you monkey ass mutherfuckers to protect us and this happens. Donald Mickler (look him up) another good friend. shot in the face by you assholes. so fuck you, fuck your Quran. if you were my prisoner, id blow your fuckin head off. or take a dull knife and saw your head off, listenin to your screams and not carin. Fuck You and Fuck Afghanistan

[khalilrabee]

@Aylaaq my brother war cptives are war captives...if a mujahed is cught by america they surely wouldnt treat him as well as the mujahedeen treated this guy...we all feel sorry for wars but a war is a war...and in war there are war captives...the americans are holding innocent muslims and torture them in guantanamo bay only because they are muslims and "potential terrorists"...

[curatrix2008]

@TheRealMattWhitton i can't believe anyone believed obama

he said what ever group he was talking to wanted to hear then said the opposite to a group that wanted t hear the opposite

.

anytime you have a charismatic stranger that won't tell his back ground but is just charm ya know you got a charlatan

[Dirawi7]

I hope for him to be a muslim, it is the most merciful thing inshallah, because all this hate to islam had destroyed the peoples minds..

[Videospot8000]

@bingosumma EXACTLY