KABUL, Afghanistan – A U.S. soldier who apparently walked off his military base this week was captured by Taliban militants, U.S. military officials said Thursday.

It's believed to be the first time insurgents have captured a U.S. serviceman since the war began in 2001.

The private first class, who was based in Paktika province in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border, didn't show up for formation on Tuesday. When fellow soldiers went to his quarters, they found his weapon, officials said.

Hours later, U.S. military officials received a phone call saying the soldier had been kidnapped outside the base, a senior military official said.

Soldiers at the base think he may have walked off the base, though a senior military officer said that no one saw him leave.

Troops generally leave the base in groups and with the knowledge of their commanders.

According to the Agence France-Presse news agency, a commander from the Taliban network led by Afghan warlord Jalalludin Haqqani said that the group had captured a U.S. serviceman in Paktika.

"The coalition soldier has been taken to a safe place," a commander identified as Bahram was quoted as saying. "Our leaders have not decided on the fate of this soldier. They will decide on his fate and soon we will present videotapes of the coalition soldier and our demand to media."

The soldier's family has been notified, but the military didn't release his name, where he was stationed or how long he has served in the Army.

"We are exhausting all available resources to ascertain his whereabouts and provide for his safe return," the military said in a statement.

McClatchy Newspapers

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