Taliban: We killed US sailor
THE Taliban said yesterday it had killed one of two US navy personnel who went missing in Afghanistan.
Its spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the pair had sparked a gunfight after driving into a Taliban-held area leading to the killing and to the other’s kidnap.
He said both were “in the hands of the Taliban” and the fate of the living sailor had yet to be decided.
The pair had taken a 4WD vehicle from their compound in Kabul. The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force sent up aircraft to look for them.
It has not said why they had left the base. Its 150,000 troops rarely move outside bases at random. A reward of $20,000 (£13,000) was offered for information.
An Afghan official said the Taliban had offered to swap the body for jailed insurgents but officials said they wanted “to talk about the surviving sailor”.