The Taliban released Navy veteran Mark Frerichs in a prisoner exchange for an Afghan tribal leader with ties to the Taliban on Monday, ending Frerichs’s captivity after two years.
The exchange occurred at Kabul airport, where Frerichs was swapped for Bashir Noorzai, the Afghan leader who had been imprisoned in the United States for allegedly smuggling more than $50 million worth of heroin into the U.S. and Europe.
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“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is ready to solve problems by negotiation with all including the United States,” acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said at a news conference. “This can be a new chapter between Afghanistan and the United States. This can open a new door for talks between both countries.”
Frerichs, a civil engineer and former Navy diver from Illinois, had been working overseas as a contractor for a decade when he was abducted on Jan. 31, 2020, in Kabul. Two presidential administrations have attempted to secure Frerichs’s release, including former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. A senior administration official confirmed the exchange to the Washington Examiner and said the president spoke with Frerichs’s family to inform them of his return.
“In order to bring home a U.S. citizen and reunite him with his family, the president made the difficult decision to grant clemency to Haji Bashir Noorzai after he spent 17 years in U.S. government custody,” the official acknowledged.
“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,” Charlene Cakora, Frerichs’s sister, said in a statement released by Camden Advisory Group, per the Washington Post. “We never gave up hope that he would survive and come home safely to us.”
President Joe Biden celebrated Frerichs’s impending return, saying in a statement, “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. I spoke with Mark’s sister today to share the good news and express how happy I am for Mark’s family. Bringing the negotiations that led to Mark’s freedom to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take lightly. Our priority now is to make sure Mark receives a healthy and safe return and is given the space and time he needs to transition back into society.”
A senior administration official described Frerichs’s health as “stable” and “solid” but declined to get more specific. The official also told reporters that he has made it to Doha, Qatar, and is in U.S. care.
A 30-second video of Frerichs obtained by the New Yorker emerged in April, with Frerichs saying in the video that it was recorded on Nov. 28, 2021.
“I’ve been patiently waiting for my release,” Frerichs said in the video. “I’d like to ask the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, please, release me.”
The video surfaced shortly after Safi Rauf, an Afghan American Navy reservist, and his brother Anees Khalil, a green card holder, were released by the Taliban following negotiations with the Biden administration. The two men had been conducting humanitarian work in Kabul and had been taken hostage in December.
Noorzai, who was imprisoned for 17 years, said he hopes his release will help relieve tension between the two countries.
“I pray for more success of the Taliban,” Noorzai said, according to the Associated Press. “I hope this exchange can lead to peace between Afghanistan and America because an American was released and I am also free now.”
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The U.S. does not acknowledge the Taliban as the leaders of Afghanistan after they returned to power after retaking the capital last year.
Since the takeover in August of last year, the Taliban have demanded the U.S. release Noorzai in exchange for Frerichs, according to the Associated Press. It’s unclear why the administration agreed to this swap now.
