A US military spokeswoman says insurgents have captured an American soldier in eastern Afghanistan.

Capt. Elizabeth Mathias said the soldier has been missing since Tuesday. She said she could not provide further information. Mathias said the military was using "all our resources to find him and provide for his safe return."

Fort Carson officials tell 11 News that although the Mountain Post does have 4BCT, 4ID soldiers in the area, they have not received any notification that the captured soldier is from Ft. Carson. They also say they are hoping for the soldier's quick and safe return.

The soldier was not taking part in the major military operation launched in the southern Taliban stronghold of Helmand. CNN is reporting that the soldier did apparently leave his small outpost on his own with no apparent means of defending himself, and the U.S. military believes a video of him is forthcoming.

The Taliban earlier claimed responsibility for the abduction. The U.S. soldier was kidnapped along with three Afghan soldiers, Taliban commander Mulvi Sangeen said.

Thousands of U.S. Marines and hundreds of Afghan troops are going after insurgents in southern Afghanistan.

The military says Operation Khanjar, or "Strike of the Sword," involves nearly 4,000 newly arrived Marines and 650 Afghan forces.

Copyright 2009 Gray Television Group, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.