The three video clips below comprise the complete propaganda tape of the US soldier who was captured by the Haqqani Network on June 30 after leaving his small combat outpost in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika. The Haqqani Network is one of the most lethal Taliban groups operating in Afghanistan.

The Long War Journal™s intent in publishing this video is to provide the full context of what was said by the soldier, how he said it, and his reactions to the questions. News accounts of the video tend to be sensationalized and focus on specific, limited aspects of the soldier™s responses, such as his background and his statements on the war and the state of the US military in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

The Long War Journal believes there is much more information to be gleaned from this propaganda video, and that the readers should be able to see it in its entirety to draw their own conclusions. For instance, it is noteworthy that the Taliban logo, and not that of As Sahab or another of al Qaeda™s media arms, is on the video. This indicates that the Taliban produced the tape, when in the past the Taliban has almost always farmed this sort of propaganda work out to other outfits. Also, the well-spoken Taliban interviewer has a remarkable command of current events and developments in the US media, and deftly uses breaking news such as inquiries into US links to Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, who is accused of massacring thousands of captive Taliban fighters in 2001.

The Long War Journal's intent in publishing this material is not to promote Taliban propaganda, nor is it to harm the interests of the US military or the captured soldier and his loved ones.