Two U.S. Navy Members Disappear in Logar AFG, One Body Recovered

[The Bread Guy]

This from ISAF:

Afghan and coalition forces recovered the remains of a missing ISAF servicemember Sunday in eastern Afghanistan after an extensive search. Afghan and coalition forces launched an extensive search-and-recovery operation when two servicemembers failed to report to their destination Friday.

We will continue this effort until our servicemember is recovered. ISAF holds the captors accountable for the safety and proper treatment of our missing servicemember.

More detail from the Associated Press:

One of two U.S. sailors missing in Afghanistan since last week has been confirmed dead and his body recovered, a NATO spokesman said Tuesday.

The search continues for the other missing sailor, said Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

The two Navy personnel went missing Friday in the eastern province of Logar, after an armored sport utility vehicle was seen driving into a Taliban-held area. NATO officials were unable to say what they were doing in such a dangerous part of eastern Afghanistan.

The Taliban have said previously that they killed one of the two men in a firefight and captured the other ....

Condolences to the family, colleagues and friends of the latest fallen 

Meanwhile, no new word on another US serviceman still missing in AFG:
http://forums.milnet.ca/forums/threads/87421.0/all.html

 

[tomahawk6]

Update.

Pentagon IDs missing, killed sailors

By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Jul 27, 2010 17:45:03 EDT

The Pentagon on Tuesday released the identities of the sailors captured and killed by the Taliban on Friday in Logar province, Afghanistan, after they left the capital, Kabul, for reasons that have not been publicly clear.

Missing is Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, 25, of Renton, Wash., a reservist, who is believed to have been abducted by Taliban fighters. Officially he has been listed as “Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown.”

Killed was Hull Maintenance Technician 2nd Class Justin McNeley, 30, of Wheatridge, Colo., from the San Diego-based Assault Craft Unit 1. He died in what is believed to have been an attack on his and Newlove’s armored sport utility vehicle. NATO troops found McNeley’s body on Sunday after a massive search, which included reward posters featuring photographs of both men.

The commanding officer of ACU 1, Cmdr. Andrew Amidon, said in a Navy announcement that McNeley was “a hardworking, dedicated sailor who always sought out tough assignments. He will be missed by all who knew him.”

Newlove and McNeley were stationed in Afghanistan as individual augmentees — pulled from their regular commands to take on supplemental missions with NATO Training Mission Afghanistan in Kabul, said Navy spokesman Lt. Justin Cole. Cole did not have more information about their exact jobs, but sailors on IA duty generally take administrative, training or support jobs that regular ground forces choose not to staff with their own troops.

Navy records were not clear about exactly how long the sailors had been in Afghanistan, but it initially appeared Newlove had been in country since December and McNeley since some earlier point last year.

Pentagon spokesmen would not give details on why Newlove and McNeley might have been driving by themselves outside the wire. Cole said the International Security Assistance Force is still conducting an investigation into what happened.

Only one other American serviceman is known to be a captive of the Taliban: Army Spc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, who went missing last June in Paktika province, in the southeast of Afghanistan.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead released a statement late Tuesday saying “the deepest sympathy of the entire Navy is with the family and friends” of McNeley, and that “We appreciate all the coalition forces have done to bring our shipmate home, and we know they continue to do everything they can in the search for … Newlove. I remain extremely proud of the thousands of U.S. Navy sailors serving on the ground in Afghanistan today, and the tens of thousands who have deployed to Afghanistan during the past nine years.”

According to the latest statistics, released Tuesday, the Navy has 6,500 sailors on the ground in Afghanistan and 2,800 in Iraq.

 

[jollyjacktar]

I hate to hear of fellow Sailors in trouble.  I hope they can locate Newlove and get him back in one piece.  My condolences to the family, friends and comrades of McNeley whom I see is a brother HT.  Fair winds and following seas.

 

[The Bread Guy]

This from the BBC, shared :

The second of two US servicemen who went missing in Afghanistan last week has been found dead, Afghan officials have told the BBC.

The body of Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, 25, was discovered in eastern Logar province, a spokesman for the governor said.

Nato recovered the body of Justin McNeley, 30, in the Logar on Sunday.

The two vanished last Friday after driving out of a military base without escort for reasons that remain unclear.

The Taliban said Justin McNeley had been killed in a firefight, during which they captured Jarod Newlove, but no explanation has been given so far for the latter's death.

 

[brandon_]

RIP to both the servicemen  iper:

 

[Fishbone Jones]

At least it gives closure to the status of the two.

RIP to both and condolences to family and friends.

 

[tomahawk6]

Entirely preventable had they not been out on their own.

 

[George Wallace]

With the www and speed of news reporting these days, these cases are more visible. 

 

[The Bread Guy]

...according to this ISAF statement - highlights mine:

An Afghan and coalition security force killed Bilal, a highly active Taliban facilitator responsible for improvised explosive device and indirect fire attacks against Afghan civilians and Afghan and coalition forces in Logar province Monday.

The facilitator had direct ties to the Taliban network involved in the recent kidnapping and murders of two U.S. Navy sailors, Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin McNeley and Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, last month. It is currently unknown what role, if any, Bilal played in the kidnapping.

"We are happy to announce the results of this successful operation. This man was a known criminal who regularly facilitated rocket attacks against Afghan and coalition forces," said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command Combined Joint Operations Center director.

"Bilal was also associated with a violent network directly responsible in the kidnapping and vicious killing of two American sailors."

As the security force approached the targeted compound west of Molla Alim in Charkh district, Bilal, who was armed with an AK-47, ran away from one of the buildings. He attempted to hide amongst two civilian farmers, but when the security force caught up with him, he engaged the assault force. They returned fire, killing him. The farmers were not injured. After the area was secure, Afghan forces called for all occupants to exit the compound peacefully and then cleared the buildings. After questioning all the residents on scene, the assault force detained one suspected insurgent ....

(A bit) more from Reuters here.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Good to see.  Hopefully they will run the rest of those responsible to ground and put them under it.  Karma, ain't it great?