President Joe Biden pointed to Mark Frerichs’s release as evidence of his administration’s “enduring commitment” to freeing Americans abroad.
Frerichs, a Navy veteran who was kidnapped in Afghanistan in early 2020, was released from Taliban captivity Monday in a prisoner swap for Haji Noorzai, a prominent Taliban member serving a 17-year drug sentence in the United States.
BIDEN TELLS GRINER AND WHELAN FAMILIES HE IS ‘COMMITTED’ TO SECURING THEIR RELEASE
Biden called Monday’s development “the culmination of years of tireless work by dedicated public servants across our government and other partner governments” and vowed to “make sure Mark receives a healthy and safe return” and assist his “transition back into society.”
“My Administration continues to prioritize the safe return of all Americans who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, and we will not stop until they are reunited with their families,” the president wrote in a statement. “We have much more work to do in many other cases, but Mark’s release demonstrates our enduring commitment. Like our work to free Americans held in Burma, Haiti, Russia, Venezuela, and elsewhere, it is our duty to do all we can to bring our people home.”
Frerichs’s release came just days after Biden met with the families of WNBA star Brittney Griner and retired Marine Paul Whelan at the White House. Both remain in Russian captivity.
Whelan has been jailed for nearly four years since being accused of espionage by the Kremlin, while Griner is serving a drug-related sentence after being detained at the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The pair remain the highest-profile Americans currently held in foreign captivity.
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“We all admire the courage of the Whelan and Griner families in the face of these unimaginable circumstances, and we remain committed to reuniting them with their loved ones,” the White House said following Biden’s Friday meeting with the families.
