Jere Van Dyk, Kidnapped By Taliban, Answers HuffPost Readers' Questions About Afghan War (VIDEO)

In 2008 author and journalist Jere Van Dyk was kidnapped by the Taliban and held for 48 days while on a reporting trip in Afghanistan.

Dyk, who has covered events in Afghanistan since the Soviets invaded in 1979, was interviewed about his experiences in the region and the Afghan war in general by Big Think, and graciously agreed to answer questions submitted by HuffPost readers.

The two he chose to answer are 1) "What questions are the media not asking that wish they would about this issue?" and 2) "According to the CIA, the GDP in Afghanistan works out to $800 per person per year. In the US it's $46,900 pp per year. Will Afghanistan ever be able to afford to pay for the army, the police force and the infrastructure that the US is trying to set up to keep the Taliban at bay?"

Watch the video below for his responses. He also has some advice for General Petraeus, who will be taking over direct command of the region. Click HERE to watch his 2-minute video of what Petraeus needs to do at BigThink.com.