Prop Op
Propaganda opportunity seized by the Taliban, as the strange case of a soldier who reportedly wandered away takes its next turn with a video release. BBC:
The soldier, interviewed in English, says he has “a very, very good family” in America.
“I miss them and I’m afraid that I might never see them again, and that I’ll never be able to tell them that I love them again, and I’ll never be able to hug them,” he says.
When asked about his condition he replies: “Well I’m scared, scared I won’t be able to go home. It is very unnerving to be a prisoner.”
A voice off camera asks if he has a message for his “people”.
“To my fellow Americans who have loved ones over here, who know what it’s like to miss them, you have the power to make our government bring them home,” says.
“Please, please bring us home so that we can be back where we belong and not over here, wasting our time and our lives and our precious life that we could be using back in our own country.
“Please bring us home. It is America and American people who have that power.”
The shaved head, beard and local garb send their own message, as it appears he is being made to look like he’s turned, in addition to being made to speak that way. Both notions are undercut by his statement that he is “scared” and that it is “unnerving to be a prisoner,” however.
Topics: Afghanistan, military
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 10:03 am on Sunday, July 19, 2009
2 Responses to “Prop Op”
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July 19th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
I didn’t know what to think about this story when it first surfaced. Did he wander away in a drug-induced, or religiously-converted, or mentally-ill fog? Is he a naive innocent who was actually captured (hard to believe about US military personnel, but not impossible)? At this point, it’s impossible to know, but however he happened to end up where he is, the Taliban are using him for the maximum PR impact. And being who they are, they won’t hesitate to kill him (and film it) for their advantage.
As to what we should do (even if we were able), that’s up to the experts.
July 19th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
[...] The soldier’s name is Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl. He is 23 years old and from Idaho. He is being held prisoner by people who are not soldiers, who have no regard for our rules of war, and who will kill Pfc. Bergdahl in the most heinous manner they can imagine the very moment they believe they can gain propaganda value from it. [...]