Wednesday, December 30, 2009

New Bergdahl video criticizes U.S. military

Calls for release of ‘limited number of prisoners’


By TONY EVANS
Express Staff Writer

A flashy propaganda video featuring 23-year-old Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl was posted on the Internet on Christmas Day. It calls for the release of a "limited number of prisoners" held by U.S. forces in the region in exchange for the safe return of Bergdahl, a Hailey-area native who was captured in the Patika Province of Afghanistan on June 30.

Lt. Col. Tim Marsano, public affairs officer for the Idaho National Guard and liaison for the Bergdahl family, said Tuesday that there has been no official response from the U.S. State Department concerning the request for a prisoner exchange.

A statement issued by Marsano on Christmas said, "The Bergdahl family pleads with the captors to let our only son come home. To Bowe: We love you and we believe in you. Stay strong."

The 36-minute video, titled "One of Their People Testified Truth or Falsehood," shows a soldier—evidently Bergdahl—in apparent good health and at times eating bananas. However, there is no indication of when it was filmed.

Wearing a U.S. military uniform and sunglasses, the soldier calls for an end to U.S. military involvement in the region.

"One of the big illusions that the army gives us is that we are coming over here to fight terrorists," said Bergdahl, who said he was being treated well by his captors. "We are fighting an army and a people who are well-organized, very smart and know how to fight."

The newsroom-style video, released by a group calling itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, was produced by al-Imara Media Productions, described by the SITE terrorist tracking organization as the media arm of the Taliban.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force confirmed in a statement that the man in the video is Bergdahl.

"This is a horrible act which exploits a young soldier, who was clearly compelled to read a prepared statement," U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, ISAF's spokesman, said.

The video describes Bergdahl as a prisoner of the mujahedeen, a precursor to the Taliban in Afghanistan that rose to prominence during the Cold War era while fighting off an invasion by the Soviet military.

The video is interspersed with verses from the Quran and news footage of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, former President George W. Bush and other U.S. military leaders, as well as footage of bombings of U.S. convoys, shackled U.S.-held captives having their heads dunked in water and casualties from the current conflict in Afghanistan.

The video was seemingly crafted to present Bergdahl's captors as morally superior to the U.S. military forces active in that country since 2001.

At the end of the video, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid asks for the release of a "limited number of prisoners" in exchange for the safe return of Bergdahl.

Bergdahl was born in Sun Valley and raised in Blaine County, near Hailey. He is a member of the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, based at Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Bergdahl is believed to be the only U.S. soldier held captive in Afghanistan or Iraq.

The video made by his captors can be seen in its entirety at www.archive.org/details/taliban-war-prison.

Tony Evans: tevans@mtexpress.com




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