NATO Recovers Body of Missing Soldier
NATO has uncovered the body of an American soldier in Afghanistan who has been missing since last week:
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — One of two U.S. sailors missing in Afghanistan since last week has been confirmed dead and his body recovered, a NATO spokesman said Tuesday.The search continues for the other missing sailor, said Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
The two Navy sailors went missing Friday in the eastern province of Logar, after an armored sport-utility vehicle was seen driving into a Taliban-held area. NATO officials were unable to say what they were doing in such a dangerous part of eastern Afghanistan.
The Taliban have said previously that they killed one of the two men in a firefight and captured the other.
Jim Kerr, a Colorado legislator from the south-Denver suburb of Littleton, said the Navy sailor killed was his wife's nephew, Justin McNeley, 30. He said the family learned of his death Monday. He said McNeley's mother is in Kingman, Arizona, but declined to give her name.
Kerr told The Denver Post that McNeley, a non-commissioned officer and father of two sons, was due to return to the U.S. in August.
The Taliban have said the captured sailor is in a "safe place" where he will not be found.
In a statement, the NATO-led command said the body was recovered Sunday after an extensive search and that the coalition "holds the captors accountable for the safety and proper treatment of our missing service member."
The only other American service member in Taliban captivity is Spc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, who disappeared June 30, 2009, in Paktika province, also in eastern Afghanistan. That area is heavily infiltrated by the Haqqani network, which has deep links to al-Qaeda. He has since appeared on videos posted on Taliban websites confirming his captivity.
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