Intense Hunt for Seized GI in Afghanistan

Army Leads Manhunt with 3,000 Boots on Ground as Analysts Seek Hidden Clues in Hostage Video

(CBS)  The massive search for U.S. Army Private Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan is being led by the 3,000-strong Task Force Yukon, while analysts scour a hostage video released of him for more clues.

CBS News correspondent Mandy Clark reports that forensic experts are pouring over images of Pfc. Bergdahl from the propaganda video released by his Taliban captors.

Military expert Francis Tusa tells CBS News the two-week delay in releasing the video raises serious questions.

"The first question you might ask is whether they've had to move, perhaps across the border into Pakistan," says Tusa. "Secondly, have there been debates between different groups inside the Taliban as to, A. Who should own the prisoner, as it were, and, B. What his fate should be."

Dishes used to serve Bergdahl a meal in the video, as well as background noise of children and electric fans, provide clues about his location during the filming.

"Certainly since there is crockery and so forth, that's suggestive, I would say, of, if not an urban area, certainly an area where there are buildings," says Tusa. "So not necessarily out in the open."

While the search continues, Private Bergdahl's friends and family in Idaho have tied yellow ribbons in support of his safe return.

Even with the clues revealed in the video, experts say the search for the soldier is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

[mysteriousjz]

It tells you how biggest threat the US policies and its supporters are to this world peace and order. Everyone's panties are up in the air for one guy-an ENEMY (for the other side of the spector) obviously under very relaxed and comfortable situation. Compared to that Abu Ghraib, and other prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan even presently with thousands of prisoners under constant threat and torture, without any charges or even valid accusations.

Please!!! Don't be so fragile like a pansy a**... there is surely more to come for generations... for what "you" have done unto others.

[YuSoWrong]

Let's exchange you for this American. He's someone who has friends.

[TNisgoodenoughforme]

"The military is only there to do what the government tells them, and with the resources they give them. THAT is the problem"
Yes Hower that is the problem. Men in suits sitting on there butts in DC, who really don't know anything about war are calling the shots. It's freaking scary. I feel every single one of them needs to have some military training or back ground in order to hold office & vote to send troops to war/ battle.

[hower4]

...... and who puts the politicians there?

[JBARON79]

Hower,
Where do you live again? Sudan?

[hower4]

If you had more than three brain cells you could work it out from what I've said here....... but you won't because you're too lazy and too stupid.

That's another American trait - unless a quick and easy solution is given to you on a plate, you're not interested.

[YuSoWrong]

A lit match would ignite the slime-trail that leads to your lair.

[hower4]

Oh yes, exactly the level of argument we have come to expect from Americans. Next come the empty threats of violence.................

[YuSoWrong]

No, Irma LaDouche. Next comes the pity and the contempt you have earned for your bullying. Look-up Schizoid Personality Disorder if you really know how you appear to others.

[hower4]

Have you got a sensible comment to make, or are you only intellectually capable of insults?

[YuSoWrong]

My sensible comment is this: you are nothing more than a bully. You attack and attack but when someone calls you on it, you're an arrogant and defensive clown. You have nothing of value to add to this blog.

Your hope that America fails is a tacit endorsement of Muslim fascism. You require the kind of police-state through which a friendless loner might dream of achieving power. Of course, you'd be liquidated before that ever happened. But dream on.

[hower4]

That isn't a comment about the issues, it's just a slightly longer but equally irrelevant insult.

Would you instead like to comment on my post (hower4 July 21, 2009 1:18 PM EDT)? I doubt that you can, but it's worth asking I suppose.

[McGowania]

surely it's paved with tarmac...invented by a Scotsman by the way.

[hower4]

As so many things were! I also stay in this fair land, but I'm not a native.

I also find odd that he managed to get himself kidnapped. Perhaps the answer is in the opinion that I'm sure your military family will back up - that the American forces tend to be badly disorganised most of the time. This explains the large numbers of civilian deaths and 'friendly' fire incidents.

..... and to blitzder - The Brits haven't got any more of a plan in Afghanistan than you do!

[McGowania]

actually we have a plan just don't have the big army any more, being a wee country punching above our weight , but at least punching accurately....unlike USA

[hower4]

I disagree (mostly). Perhaps the military has a sensible plan and achievable objectives (though I doubt the latter), but for obvious reasons they don't say what they are. What IS obvious is that the government's plan keeps changing. The military is only there to do what the government tells them, and with the resources they give them. THAT is the problem.

[blitzder]

by gravyboat5000 July 21, 2009 1:02 PM EDT
THIS REALLY PISSES ME OFF! We need to be there, to get rid of the Taliban AND al Queda.

5000 young Americans dead, 50,000+ Americans maimed for life, and after 8 years of bombings in those two countries, how many civilians killed?? more than a million and a half.

There is something very WRONG here, if you have to justify so many killings. There is no sense to all this mayhem. THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS.

[McGowania]

ooops my typing has gone a bit strange...must be the atlantic getting in the way...sorry about that.

[McGowania]

speaking as a Brit, from a family of British soldiers, it amzazes me the guy just walked off the base with a couple of Afgahn's and not one guard questions what he's doing? I know your amry is bigger than ours, and i know you've more men, and more money, and more kit....but i'm glad I'm British. Hope he survives of course , and hope the Afghan's get peace soon.

[blitzder]

At least the Brits had a plan for the region, not so with Yanks. THERE IS NO PLAN. Zilch.

Weapons contractors are simply smooching/doling off the American taxpayer for the last 8 years, with mangled/manipulated info on the entire region.

[erasmus111]

I think the media needs to shut the hell up and stop printing everything they know, or think they know.

[wdrussell1]

So Fox News is going to throw a party when this guy is killed.

Count on Fox for being ignorant.

[blitzder]

by ReallyMeanIt July 21, 2009 10:20 AM EDT

by blitzder July 21, 2009 10:02 AM EDT
"The bigger question is, what the hell are we doing there for 8 years, in the first place, looking for WMDs???"
------------------------------------------------
You have the ignorant of a typical lib. Always think they know what they're talking about.
Looked at a map lately?


Have you??, If that is not stupidity what is?? Dropping massive high tech bombs on some foreign country for 8 years, killing 1 million civilians and still nowhere near to finding Bin laden. America has gone off the rails.

[hower4]

by gravyboat5000 July 21, 2009 1:02 PM EDT
THIS REALLY PISSES ME OFF!..............
Afghanistan was largely ignored while GW sent troops to Iraq.
We need to be there, to get rid of the Taliban AND al Queda.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Maybe NATO needs to be there, but NOT carrying out military offensives. This just makes things worse because we (particularly Americans) seem unable to avoid killing civilians in large numbers. The ONLY function of the military should be to protect development efforts and personnel. Afghanistan needs a functioning medical system, civil infrastructure and education system before it needs an army. With that mandate I would say we should be there for many years, but FAR more importantly, so would almost all Afghans. If all we can do is more of what we've been doing for the last 8 years, we should get out.

[hower4]

by ReallyMeanIt July 21, 2009 10:20 AM EDT
You have the ignorant of a typical lib. Always think they know what they're talking about.
Looked at a map lately?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You don't recognise sarcasm when you see it, do you?

P.S. I think you meant "ignorance"! It's so funny when fools like you put your foot right in your mouth.

[seezero1]

There's a big difference. Children can do childish things. Adults aren't supposed. The naughty child in your example will only be treated like that for a short time. I am talking about treating the terrorist that way a long time. Also they will have to get along with many other prisoners who won't be treated like babies. I think that would be hard to do. The other prisoners will know what's up and will call them names, the whole works.

[hower4]

The other prisoners will call them names? Ouch! That's SO much worse than waterboarding!

[seezero1]

I feel cowards should be treated like babies.

[hower4]

Just like you would treat a naughty child? I think I've heard it all now!!!!! You Americans are a total joke.

[YuSoWrong]

Then why'd your mom take the nylons and chocolates?

[hower4]

Take a look at what year it is now, ****head!

[YuSoWrong]

That's why it's so repulsive that she's still available.

[hower4]

Do you find that being offensive about people's parents makes you happy? No? I think I can also guarantee that they don't like it either. So why do you do it?

[YuSoWrong]

Because your belligerence and your faux-reasonableness can't be addressed with logic. If you could go into a pub and win a brawl, you would. Instead you come here, where your best defense is an offense, and such bullying must be dealt-with.

[hower4]

How do you know? You haven't tried logic yet. Go on..... just TRY to have a sensible argument about the issues. Do you know that people will respect you more for having an honest opinion than for being right?

You could also apologise for insulting my mother if you want to.

[YuSoWrong]

I believe you've been an insult to her for some time now.

As for Afghanistan, let's go from the general to the specific.

Men are reasoning animals. Reason is Man's identifying charactistic and his means of survival. Men have free will. Men voluntarily give-up complete autonomy to gain the benefit of co-operation with other men.

This much is obvious. What is frequently lost on this blog is the fact that religion and tribalism are primitive attempts to surrender autonomy, as well as Reason, in order to gain a benefit.

This is a delusion-exchanged-for-a-delusion. The Pashtuns made this bargain generations ago and they are living in stagnation as a result. When a tall, aristocratic, Arabian pseudo-Prophet appears among them, they naturally sacrifice themselves to his cause. (The best comparison would be if Richard Burton -- either the explorer or the actor -- appeared among American hillbillies as a clergyman quoting Shakespeare.)

The Pashtun have supported the Taliban and the Taliban have hosted Al Qaeda. The US government has a legitimate function of protecting American lives and property. When attacked, the US government is obliged to counter-attack.

I have been to the upper floors of the World Trade Center and I can assure you that you would need to see the fires of hell before you thought that jumping to your death was a good alternative.

Therefore I can say that the US government should have attacked Afghanistan, and should have attacked with overwhelming force, and should not have considered the lives of random Pashtuns more important than the lives of Americans in-harms-way. The US government has no responsibility to rebuild the Afghan state but may do so as a side-effect of its own mission to protect American lives and property.

Hoping for American failure in this situation is the same as hoping for the collapse of post-Renaissance and post-Enlightenment values when faced with the Inquistion -- which is the same as hoping for the collapse of Reason when faced with Mysticism.

If that is your story, you would show integrity by joining a tribal cave and fighting the infidel, rather than defending such people here.

[hower4]

If can't even answer the point and all you can manage is more gratuitous insults of me and my mother, then I have nothing to say to you, and I will go away with my negative impression of Americans reinforced.

I haven't insulted you, so why did you insult me and my family?

[seezero1]

The Taliban people who use people as pawns or who attempt or do suicide-bombing are definitely cowards. If any of them ever get caught alive, they should have to wear baby clothes and diapers in prison. Also they should be forced to have baby toys (ones that are not going to a danger to the prison, of course) in their cells (no books, no tapes, no CD's , no magazines, etc.). Humiliation is a key to stopping terrorism.

[hower4]

Are you serious? How old are you?

[fuzzyi]

America does not have a Democracy idiot, according to a recent survey, it was found that 68% of the respondants did not know who the president of the USA is. 79% said they do not vote, excuse me, who is in charge here,,,the neocons or the secret Freemasons???? Those people on the front covers eg,,,presidents, senators, politicians are all controlled by the hidden rulers,,,the presidents may change,,,but the suppression and domination of other governments continues by proxy, just check the size of the handouts to countries on the USA's payroll...

[sheba082]

Once I thought it would be prudent to imbed a microchip in the soldiers at war. At least it would give us a general vicinity to look in and would save valuable time. It would be removed once the soldier was back in country. Of course the media would blab about it and our soldiers would be subject to Taliban field surgery to remove the chip. Sometimes we are alike a broken refrigerator.... can't keep shyt!

[blitzder]

The bigger question is, what the hell are we doing there for 8 years, in the first place, looking for WMDs??? Or shovelling billions of taxpayer dollars to Cheney's Cronies.

[hower4]

If you don't know the answer to that after 8 years and a change of government then what the hell is your democracy for?

[ReallyMeanIt]

by blitzder July 21, 2009 10:02 AM EDT
"The bigger question is, what the hell are we doing there for 8 years, in the first place, looking for WMDs???"
------------------------------------------------
You have the ignorant of a typical lib. Always think they know what they're talking about.
Looked at a map lately?

[fuzzyi]

Hey, why don't we just show the taliban what we gonna do to there friends in our detention centres in Afghanistan,,,,throw them out of helicopters or grag them behind a hummer naked,,,that will force them to release him...But then again we probably doing it anyway...

[hower4]

by fuzzyi July 21, 2009 9:35 AM EDT
Hey, why don't we just show the taliban what we gonna do to there friends in our detention centres in Afghanistan,,,,throw them out of helicopters or grag them behind a hummer naked,,,that will force them to release him
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Yeah..... sure it would (idiot!).

[wyodutch]

What's the big panic? We Americans don't have any problems with people being held at Guantanamo for years with not even a charge filed against them. Now our national panties are in a knot because of one guy being held for a few days? Please.

Imagine this scenario... The Taliban videotapes the trooper being waterboarded and subjected to the other techniques that we Americans, in poll after poll say are... "Okay to be used on 'suspected' enemies." The soldier does what all waterboarding victims do... confess to anything as long as the process stops.

Funny isn't it... How different we see things when the tables are turned on us.

[jwesel1]

Right you are. We have hundreds of Taliban at Guantanamo Bay

[blitzder]

Very right, the Pentagon is calling the kidnapping, against international law. Since when did the US ever give a hoot for international law. Take a look at the videos from Abu-gharaib, guantanamo etc. The Bush/Cheney cover-up has made all this possible, and put the life of this very young man in danger. Stupid is as stupid gets.

[hower4]

You're wasting your time trying to use logic with the typical reader on here, but it's worth a try I suppose.

But you're absolutely right, America is already in a hysterical uproar and all his captors have done is video the guy eating! They must be over the moon with all the publicity possibilities open to them now, waterboarding on video being just one.

How can the US government possibly criticise this video being shown? They had no problems showing videos of Saddam being examined, Gitmo prisoners in chains, etc. etc.

You know what else will happen after all this crazy hypocritical American coverage?...... EVERY resistance group in Afghanistan is going to double their efforts to capture an American alive. If I was there I would try to get out FAST!

[ReallyMeanIt]

You libs are getting played by these thugs and didn't even know it.
It's a propaganda video and you bought it with hook, line and sinker. If you really think this is how all of the capture servicemen are treated, then you really are stupid. What they doesn't show that surrounds our soldier should be concerning you.

[hower4]

It's not the libs who are getting worked up about it!

By the way, which other captured servicemen are you talking about?

[ReallyMeanIt]

by hower4 July 21, 2009 10:17 AM EDT
"By the way, which other captured servicemen are you talking about?"
---------------------------------------------------------------
If you need to asked about our other soldiers that was beaten, torture, decapicated, abuse........then that explains a lot.
Do some research and get informed to you won't get played like a yo-yo.

[hower4]

by ReallyMeanIt July 21, 2009 10:33 AM EDT
Do some research and get informed to you won't get played like a yo-yo.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You're talking about servicemen captured in Iraq aren't you? That was a different country and a different war!!!! All these foreign countries with funny names seem the same to you, don't they?

[ReallyMeanIt]

by hower4 July 21, 2009 10:55 AM EDT
by ReallyMeanIt July 21, 2009 10:33 AM EDT
Do some research and get informed to you won't get played like a yo-yo.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You're talking about servicemen captured in Iraq aren't you? That was a different country and a different war!!!! All these foreign countries with funny names seem the same to you, don't they?
--------------------------------------------------------
I'm talking about servicemen that was capture by terrorists regardless of what country they're in...... regardless of what "funny" name they go by.
BTW, it's the libs who doesn't know what's the difference between Iraq and Afganistan...........read the comments and see it for yourself!

[hower4]

by ReallyMeanIt July 21, 2009 11:08 AM EDT
I'm talking about servicemen that was capture by terrorists regardless of what country they're in...... regardless of what "funny" name they go by.
BTW, it's the libs who doesn't know what's the difference between Iraq and Afganistan...........read the comments and see it for yourself!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
You just proved yourself wrong, unles you're a lib! You said "regardless of what funny name they go by"...... Case closed!

[hower4]

3000 men to search the whole of Afghanistan and Pakistan! Are they joking?

[harpoot]

I recommend they call in CSI!! It never takes them longer than 39'40" to 41'43" to solve up to three crimes. Go get 'em Horatio.

[John_Merritt]

Yeah, but that shiny Hummer might stand out a bit, you think? Go get them Yukon.

You got to just love the names of some of these special units. My kind of guys, and I hope you take it to them in a big way. So much that they will think twice before they do it again. Hang in there Bowe, we're all pulling and praying for you brother.