In Afghanistan, the Taliban released a former US Navy officer who had been imprisoned for 2 years. In return, the US handed over a close associate of the Taliban to the Taliban.
Mark Frerichs was working on construction projects in Afghanistan when he was kidnapped by the Taliban in 2020, according to foreign news agencies.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Mark was handed over to the American delegation after long negotiations.
He said that in exchange for Mark, America handed over Bashar Nurzai to Afghanistan. This exchange of prisoners took place at Kabul Airport.
Bashar Noorzai was an associate and fighter of the Afghan Taliban. He has spent 17 years in the American prison. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in the US for heroin trafficking.
Afghan government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that in the nineties, Bashar Nurzai provided all possible support to the Taliban, including weapons.
Speaking to journalists in Kabul after his release from America, Bashar Noorzai said that if the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan had not tried, my release could not have taken place.
