Pentagon names 25-year-old sailor missing since last week, thought held by Taliban

Pentagon names sailor thought captured by Taliban

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has released the name of a sailor who went missing last week in Afghanistan and is presumed to be in the hands of the Taliban.

The Pentagon lists Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove as “whereabouts unknown.” The Pentagon is not confirming that Newlove was captured.

The Taliban has said militants captured the U.S. sailor after a firefight in a Taliban-controlled area. The Pentagon said Newlove is 25 and from Renton, Wash. Property records indicate Newlove owns a house in Seattle, and he’s listed as an alumnus of Chief Sealth High School in Seattle. He describes himself on his Myspace page as being from Seattle.

The Pentagon also confirmed the name of a sailor who was killed in the same incident. He was Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin McNeley. He was 30 and from Wheatridge, Colo.