An American contractor kept hostage in Afghanistan since 2020 has been released in a prisoner swap for a Taliban drug lord who had been held in US government custody since his capture 17 years ago, the White House said on Monday.
Mark Frerichs, a US Navy veteran and civilian contractor, was abducted two years ago in Kabul where it was believed he was held captive by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network.
“His release is the culmination of years of tireless work by dedicated public servants across our government and other partner governments, and I want to thank them for all that effort,” President Biden said in a statement.
Frerichs’ sister, Charlene Cakora, of Lombard, Ill., thanked the government for working to free her brother.
“I am so happy to hear that my brother is safe and on his way home to us. Our family has prayed for this each day of the more than 31 months he has been a hostage. We never gave up hope that he would survive and come home safely to us,” Cakora said in a statement.
The release of Frerichs, who was abducted on Jan. 31, 2020, had been the topic of negotiations between US and Taliban officials as part of the ongoing talks in Doha. Charlene Cakora via AP
Frerichs, an engineer and U.S. Navy veteran from Lombard, Illinois, was abducted in Afghanistan during February of 2020. fbi.govThe Taliban official released, Bashir Noorzai, was convicted in 2005 of smuggling $50 million worth of heroin from Afghanistan and Pakistan into the US and was serving a life sentence.
Noorzai told reporters in Kabul that he had been released from an unspecified prison in the US, but other Taliban officials said he had been held at a detention facility in Guantanamo Bay.
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, said the prisoner exchange marked a “new era” in relations with the US.
The Taliban official released, Bashir Noorzai, was convicted in 2005 of smuggling $50 million worth of heroin from Afghanistan and Pakistan into the US. AFP/Getty Images
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, said the prisoner exchange marked a “new era” in relations with the US. AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi
The United States has pushed for the release of Frerichs since abduction. The U.S. Department of State“This can be a new chapter between Afghanistan and the United States, this can open a new door for talks between both countries,” Muttaqi said at a news conference in Kabul alongside Noorzai.
“This act shows us that all problems can be solved through talks and I thank both sides’ teams who worked so hard for this to happen,” Muttaqi continued.
He said the swap happened at the Kabul airport.
Mark Frerichs, a US Navy veteran and civilian contractor, was abducted two years ago in Kabul.
The release of Frerichs, who was abducted on Jan. 31, 2020, had been the topic of negotiations between US and Taliban officials as part of the ongoing talks in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to reach an agreement to remove American troops from Afghanistan, the Washington Post reported.
An administration official told the newspaper that Biden’s decision to release Noorzai in exchange for Frerichs was “difficult.”
With Post wires
