US soldier captured by insurgents in Afghanistan

By AP, JPOST.COM STAFF
An American soldier was captured by insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, the US military said Thursday. Spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias said the soldier went missing Tuesday. "We are using all of our resources to find him and provide for his safe return," Mathias said. Mathias did not provide any further information on the soldier or the circumstances of his capture. "We are not providing further details to protect the soldier's well-being," she said. The news broke as thousands of US Marines launched a major anti-Taliban offensive in southern Afghanistan. The missing soldier was not part of that operation. Zabiullah Mujaheed, a spokesman for the Taliban, could not confirm that the soldier was with any of their militant forces. A myriad of insurgent groups operate in eastern Afghanistan, and the Taliban is only one of them.