NATO says the body of one of two U.S. sailors missing in eastern Afghanistan has been recovered.
A statement issued Tuesday said the remains were found Sunday after an intensive search. NATO says the search and recovery operation will continue until the other missing man is found.
The Taliban said previously that it had killed one sailor in a firefight and captured the other.
The two men disappeared Friday in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province, after they entered an area known to be an insurgent stronghold. NATO forces set up road checkpoints, distributed flyers and offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the sailors’ location.
NATO said Tuesday that it “holds the captors accountable” for the safety and proper treatment of the service member who is still missing.
The NATO statement did not identify the sailor who was killed, but the Denver Post newspaper in (the western U.S. state of) Colorado says a state lawmaker has identified the man as 30-year-old Justin McNeley. The lawmaker tells the Post that McNeley was the son of his wife’s sister.
Separately, the British Ministry of Defense says the death of one of its soldiers in an explosion Monday could have been the result of a friendly fire incident. The ministry says a smoke screen was being used to assist the team searching for roadside bombs in the Sangin district of southern Helmand province, and that one of the smoke shells may have fallen short of its intended target.
In eastern Parwan province, NATO says insurgents killed six Afghan construction workers and kidnapped a government official on Monday. The alliance says militants attacked vehicles carrying the workers in the Siahgird district. Afghan police responded and forced the insurgents to flee. NATO says the militants captured the attorney general for the district while retreating.
VOA NEWS – Some information for this report was provided by AP.