July 27, 2009: In Afghanistan, the Taliban are not happy about their inability to negotiate a ransom for the American soldier they captured (or bought) earlier this month. The Taliban released a video of their captive on July 17th, and demanded that the U.S. negotiate. American spokesmen will only say that the U.S. is doing everything possible to gain the release of the soldier (Bowe Bergdahl). Apparently the U.S. is not going to negotiate, and is actively searching for Bergdahl.

There is some confusion about how Bergdahl was captured. Initial reports indicated that he left his base in eastern Afghanistan, in the company of three Afghan soldiers, and got drunk, or was drunk when he left the base. Although U.S. troops are forbidden to have alcoholic beverages in combat zones, it is possible to get booze (from the locals, or made on the base.) But on the video the Taliban released, Bergdahl said he fell behind on a patrol and was grabbed by the Taliban. The army has said nothing about that, and if it had happened that way, there would have been some kind of official announcement (as has been the case with similar incidents in Iraq). But the army has said nothing.

After Bergdahl went missing on June 30th, local Afghans said he was off base and drunk, and some pro-Taliban tribesmen grabbed him, and sold him to the Taliban (a common way for Western captives to end up as Taliban prisoners.) The fact that unarmed U.S. soldiers are not supposed to be off their bases in that part of Afghanistan, and Bergdahl apparently left his base, has not been explained. Apparently there will not be any official explanations until Bergdahl is freed, or murdered by his captors.  But in the meantime, Bergdahl's chain of command (his squad leader, platoon leader, company commander and battalion commander, not to mention whoever is in charge of base security) are not having a good time of it.