Body of Missing Navy Seal Found

A U.S. Navy SEAL missing since late last month was found dead Sunday in eastern Afghanistan, the military said today.

The commando was part of a four-man team that went missing June 28 during a clash with militants in Kunar province. A wounded team member, who had taken shelter in the home of a village elder, was rescued four days after the SEALs called for help. The Pentagon said last week that the bodies of two other Navy SEALs had been recovered.

A spokesman for the ousted Taliban militia had claimed that the fourth team member had been captured and executed, his body dumped in the area. He had refused to offer proof of the killing, but claimed that the soldier’s hands were tied and his throat was cut with a knife.

However, the military said today in a statement that the “location and disposition of the service member’s remains indicate he died while fighting off enemy terrorists on or about June 28.”

The commando’s identity was withheld pending notification of family members.

A support team of 16 American troops sent to evacuate the Navy SEAL team died when suspected Taliban guerrillas shot down their MH-47 transport helicopter with a rocket-propelled grenade.

With landmark parliamentary elections scheduled for September, violence has surged in recent months, particularly near Pakistan. Kunar province, which shares a 217-mile border with Pakistan, has been battling insurgent and rebel activity since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001.

In violence Sunday, suspected Taliban militants ambushed a patrol in southern Helmand province, beheading six Afghan troops and wounding six others, said Assadullah Khaled, the governor of Kandahar, which borders Helmand.

Twelve other Afghan soldiers were killed Sunday when a land mine blew up under their vehicle in Paktika province, also near the border with Pakistan, said governor Gulab Mangal.