Sailor missing in Afghanistan is Renton native
The agency says Jarod Newlove, 25, and another sailor 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.
Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said the search for Newlove is ongoing. The other sailor, 30-year-old Justin McNeley of Wheatridge, Colo., has been confirmed dead by military officials and his body has been recovered.
Newlove is originally from Renton, but has also lived in West Seattle. Family and friends are camped out at a relative's home awaiting word, but have been asked by Navy officials not to comment.
"The Newlove family and the Navy request that the media and public please, please not reveal any additional personal information related to this matter or the family itself," said Navy spokesman Sean Hughes. "The info in the wrong hands could jeopardize Jarod's well being."
The Taliban have said previously that they killed one of the two men in a firefight and captured the other. Hughes said the Navy can't confirm Newlove has been captured.
"His status is he's in a missing status," Hughes said. "We prepare for the worst in order to be safe."
Hughes asked that people continue to pray for Jarod's safe return. Newlove's father says the wait for information is rough.
"(I) hope that he comes home alive," said Newlove's father. "I hope he comes home soon."
Jim Kerr, a Colorado legislator from the Denver suburb of Littleton, said McNeley was his wife's nephew. He said the family learned of his death Monday. He said McNeley's mother is in Kingman, Arizona, but declined to give her name.
Kerr told The Denver Post that McNeley, a noncommissioned officer and father of two sons, was due to return to the U.S. in August.
 The leaflet reads: "This American troop is missing. He was last seen in a white Land Cruiser vehicle. If you have any information about this solider, kindly contact the Logar Joint Coordination Center." |
In a statement, the NATO-led command said the body was recovered Sunday after an extensive search and that the coalition "holds the captors accountable for the safety and proper treatment of our missing service member."
The only other American service member in Taliban captivity is Spc. Bowe Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, who disappeared June 30, 2009, in Paktika province, also in eastern Afghanistan. That area is heavily infiltrated by the Haqqani network, which has deep links to al-Qaida. Bergdahl has since appeared on videos posted on Taliban websites confirming his captivity.
New York Times reporter David Rohde was also kidnapped in Logar province while trying to meet with a Taliban commander. He and an Afghan colleague escaped in June 2009 after seven months in captivity, most of it spent in Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan.
Hundreds of fliers, with reprinted photos of the two sailors, have been distributed throughout Logar province where NATO troops were stopping vehicles, searching them and those inside. NATO has offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the surviving sailor's location.