Taliban threaten to kill captured U.S. soldier

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Local Taliban commanders threatened Thursday to kill a captured American soldier unless the U.S. military stops operations in two districts of southeastern Afghanistan.

Also Thursday, Canadian authorities announced that a Canadian soldier was killed southwest of Kandahar, bringing to 47 the number of international troops killed in Afghanistan this month. That makes July the deadliest month of the war for foreign troops — with nearly half the month to go.

The Taliban claimed last week to be holding the American soldier, whom the U.S. military earlier described as possibly being in enemy hands.

Abdullah Jalali, a spokesman for Taliban commander Mawlavi Sangin, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday that the soldier was healthy.

He said the soldier would be killed unless the U.S. stops airstrikes in Ghazni province’s Giro district and Paktika province’s Khoshamand district. Jalali did not explain why the Taliban chose those areas, noting only that Giro has been heavily bombed.

Spokeswoman Capt. Elizabeth Mathias declined to comment on the demands but did say recent operations in Giro district this month did not involve bombings.

Neither district is in Helmand province, where Marines are conducting the largest U.S. military operation in Afghanistan since the Taliban were toppled from power in 2001.

Jalali said the final decision about the soldier’s fate will be made by Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

The U.S. military has said the soldier was noticed missing during a routine check of the unit June 30 and was “believed captured.”

The Taliban claimed on its Web site July 6 that it was holding the soldier.

“Five days ago, a drunken American soldier who had come out of his garrison named Malakh was captured by mujahedeen. ... He is still with mujahedeen,” said the report. The short Web message did not elaborate on his whereabouts, nor did it provide any proof such as a photo.

The U.S. military has said it intercepted communications in which insurgents talked about holding an American.

The soldier’s body armor and weapon were found on the base, and U.S. defense sources say he “just walked off” the post with three Afghans after work. They say they have no explanation for why he left the base.

The military has not identified the soldier but said his family has been notified that he is missing.