Fliers with pictures of the two missing soldiers were circulated in Logar province (EPA)

The body of one of two US servicemen who went missing in eastern Afghanistan last week has been recovered, a Nato spokesman has said.

The navy personnel went missing in Logar province on Friday after they left their compound in the capital, Kabul.

"Afghan and coalition forces recovered the remains of a missing Isaf service member Sunday in eastern Afghanistan after an extensive search," Nato's International Security Assistance Force said on Tuesday.

"Isaf holds the captors accountable for the safety and proper treatment of our missing service member."

The Taliban had previously said they had killed one of the two men in a firefight and captured the other when they drove into a Taliban-held area.

"We're trying to reach a Taliban spokesman to see whether there was any sort of handover that took place but no news on that from either the Taliban or from Nato," Al Jazeera's James Bays, reporting from Kabul, said.

Nato hunt

The Taliban has previously said that the captured soldier was in a "safe place" where he would not be found, but Nato said it would continue the hunt for the missing man.

Hundreds of fliers, with reprinted photos of the two missing sailors, have been distributed throughout Logar province where Nato troops were stopping vehicles, searching them and those inside.

The fliers said a $20,000 reward was being offered for information leading to the soldiers' location.

Jim Kerr, a Colorado legislator, named the dead sailor as Justin McNeley, his wife's 30-year-old nephew.

Kerr told The Denver Post that McNeley, a non-commissioned officer and father of two sons, was due to return to the US in August.

Another US soldier is also being held by the Taliban. Bowe Bergdahl disappeared June 30, 2009, in Paktika province, near Logar.

His fate and whereabouts remain unclear, although he appeared in a video released by the Taliban in April. (Al Jazeera)


Link: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/07/201072773155940409.html