Everything in the world doesn’t necessarily happen for the first time. American soldiers are supposedly the “prime targets” of Taliban and Al-Qaeda as is put forth by the American agencies working on the ground in Afghanistan. Fair enough is also to know that ‘everything is fair in love and war’ but a sensible mind won’t accept the logic of being kidnapped or abducted from your own area of jurisdiction in any sort of face to face war be it ‘conventional war’ or ‘guerilla war’. However, one will have no other choice but to accept that stupid things like this happens here. A highly trained professional American soldier gets kidnapped by his enemies who could kill him anytime with slightest sympathy.

In one such case, probably the first in its kind since the US invasion of 2001, Taliban claimed the kidnapping of an American soldier along with his three Afghan counterparts. According to the purported Taliban spokesman Molvi Sangeen, these soldiers were abducted in the district Wasfkheil of Paktika province while they were coming out of a US army base. Molvi Sangeen confirmed that these soldiers have been taken to a ‘secure’ area.

An afghan official confirmed that an American soldier had gone missing after he made an exit out of their army base without prior permission. The source also claimed of having been told that this particular soldier has been abducted by the Taliban and demands of money and release of several prisoners have been leveled against his release. Taliban, however, maintain that their leadership haven’t reached a decision on how to treat the ‘abducted soldier’.

NATO has also confirmed the missing of one of its soldiers without providing further explanation.

Taliban have announced the release of pictures of and videos of the abducted soldier to be issued soon.

This abduction has taken place at a time coinciding the American forces’ major offensive against Taliban in the southern province of Helmand. In these offensives over 4000 US marines and 650 Afghan soldiers are taking part.