{"id":11490,"date":"2022-09-19T22:49:11","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T20:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=11490"},"modified":"2022-09-19T22:49:15","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T20:49:15","slug":"us-releases-taliban-drug-lord-in-exchange-for-us-navy-veteran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/us-releases-taliban-drug-lord-in-exchange-for-us-navy-veteran\/","title":{"rendered":"US releases Taliban drug lord in exchange for US Navy veteran"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Afghanistan\u2019s Taliban have freed American engineer and Navy veteran Mark Frerichs in exchange for Taliban-linked Afghan tribal leader Bashir Noorzai, the White House confirmed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark Frerichs, who had spent more than a decade in Afghanistan as a civilian contractor, was\u00a0abducted in January 2020<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and is believed to have been held since then by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network. Frerichs was held in captivity for 31 months. He was traded for\u00a0Bashir Noorzai, a warlord and prominent member of the Taliban, who was in prison in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges for 17 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBringing Mark home has been a top priority for President Biden and his national security team,\u201d a statement from the office of the U.S. President read. The release of Frerichs \u201cis the culmination of years of tireless work,\u201d President Joe Biden said in a\u00a0statement<\/span><\/a>. \u201cBringing the negotiations that led to Mark\u2019s freedom to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take lightly,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden said Frerichs\u2019 release \u201cdemonstrates our enduring commitment\u201d\u00a0to the safe release and return of all Americans who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. \u201cWe will not stop until they are reunited with their families,\u201d he said, adding that the administration has \u201cMuch more work to do in many other cases.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frerichs was able to walk on his own onto the aircraft, according to a source familiar with the matter<\/span><\/a> <\/span>said. He is currently in Doha, Qatar and his physical and mental condition appear good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed Frerichs\u2019s release and committed to working to free other Americans \u201carbitrarily and unjustly\u201d detained abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMark\u2019s return to his loved ones is the result of intense engagement with the Taliban,\u201d Blinken said<\/span><\/a>, thanking the State Department team and other partners in Qatar for securing the release. \u201cOur commitment to bring Mark home never wavered, and it will never waver for the Americans who are held captive anywhere around the world\u201d he vowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mark Frerichs is coming home after two and half years in captivity in Afghanistan. Thank you to our diplomats, national security professionals, and partners in Qatar for your work to secure his release.<\/p>— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 19, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote>