US soldier takes on Afghan militants in pink underpants

Pink boxer shorts, a red T-shirt and bedroom slippers aren't everyone's idea of the ideal uniform for fighting the Taleban.

But a young US soldier found himself battling the enemy in his underwear when his platoon came under a sudden attack by Taleban militants in Afghanistan on Monday.

Zachary Boyd, 19, was sleeping when the ambush occurred and only had time to put on his helmet and body armour before grabbing his gun and rushing into action, leaving his "I love New York" pink boxers on full display.



The moment – at Firebase Restrepo in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan's Kunar Province — was captured by an Associated Press photographer and placed on the front page of The New York Times.

Army Specialist Boyd, fighting in Afghanistan with the US Army First Battalion, phoned home to warn his family of his sudden notoriety, much to the amusement of his parents.

“He said, ‘I hear the Times is what they put on the President's desk’,” said his mother, Sheree Boyd. “Then he told us, ‘I may not have a job any more after the President has seen me out of uniform’. It was typical. He has always been an interesting little character.”