U.S. Army Private Bowe Bergdahl has surfaced again in a new Taliban video, following his capture on June 30, 2009, or shortly thereafter. Bergdahl, the only known American POW in Afghanistan, appears in four seconds of the footage with a noticeable wound on his face. No information was provided in the video about the soldier’s condition. This is the fourth time the Taliban has distributed a video of Bergdahl.

 

In a previous video, Bergdahl was seen sporting a beard. The latest footage shows him clean shaven. The Taliban has claimed Bergdahl converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdullah—a detail mentioned in a British media story but not one published by the New York Daily News.

 

Insurgents, who have threatened to kill Bergdahl, also claim the Army private has helped them by showing how to make bombs and carry out ambushes.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Bergdahl Shown in New Taliban Video (by Tony Evans, Idaho Mountain Express)

Alive! Fresh Video Emerges of U.S. Soldier Held by the Taliban for 18 Months (But Has He Been Beaten?) (by Rob Cooper, Daily Mail)

Bowe Bergdahl, Missing US Soldier from Hailey, Idaho Being Held by Taliban, Appears in New Video (by Aliyah Shahid, New York Daily News)