WASHINGTON — An American man kidnapped in Afghanistan two years in the past is seen in a video pleading for his launch in order that he will be reunited together with his household, based on a recording posted Friday by The New Yorker journal.
The video of Mark Frerichs marks the primary time that the Navy veteran and civilian contractor has been seen by the general public since his abduction in Kabul on Jan. 31, 2020. Frerichs, of Lombard, Illinois, is believed to be held by the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani community, and U.S. officers throughout two presidential administrations have tried unsuccessfully to get him house.
Frerichs seems by himself within the video, sitting upright earlier than a darkish curtain and carrying what seems to be conventional Afghan clothes. Within the video, which he says was recorded final Nov. 28, he says he has patiently awaited his launch and provides: “I might prefer to ask the management of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: please launch me. Launch me in order that I could also be re-united with my household. Thanks.”
Movies of hostages are typically launched to point out proof that they’re alive and to facilitate negotiations for a launch, although it was not instantly clear if that was the case right here.
The video was posted Friday by The New Yorker, which says it obtained it from an unidentified particular person in Afghanistan.
An FBI spokeswoman in Washington declined to touch upon the video’s authenticity, however a sister of Frerichs, Charlene Cakora, stated in an announcement Friday that she was grateful to the Taliban for releasing the video and described it as “public affirmation of our household’s long-held perception that he’s alive after greater than two years in captivity.”
She appealed to President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to step up efforts to get Frerichs launched.
“We think about this to be an vital indicator of the Taliban’s curiosity in searching for to rearrange for Mark’s rapid launch. President Biden and Secretary Blinken, we urge you to take daring and decisive motion to convey Mark house,” she added.
The Taliban has made clear to U.S. officers that it seeks the discharge of a convicted drug lord named Bashir Noorzai, however the U.S. authorities has not moved ahead on any type of prisoner commerce or trade that might get Frerichs house.
The video of Frerichs surfaced on the identical day that the State Division introduced the discharge from Afghanistan of U.S. citizen Safiullah Rauf and Anees Khalil, a lawful everlasting resident. The State Division stated that they had been now in Qatar earlier than touring house however supplied no further particulars about their actions in Afghanistan.
© Copyright 2022 Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
