The video featured is from a associated report.
Rauf and his brothers, all former Afghan refugees, based the Human First Coalition, which, together with others within the “Digital Dunkirk” motion, labored to evacuate these desperately attempting to flee after Kabul fell. The group’s work quickly turned to humanitarian help for Afghans, and Rauf put medical faculty on maintain to go to Kabul to attempt to present crucially wanted help.
Rauf and his brother Anees Khalil, a inexperienced card holder, had been taken into custody by the Taliban on December 18. After greater than 100 days of intense negotiations between the Biden administration and their captors, the Rauf brothers had been freed earlier Friday.
In an announcement first obtained by CNN, Safi Rauf introduced that on Friday, “we had been launched as a result of efforts of the US authorities (most particularly political officer JP Feldmayer, Particular Consultant Tom West, and Lt. Col. Jason Hock), our household and family members, the Qatari authorities, the British authorities, our staff at Human First Coalition, and numerous mates in nation, within the area, and everywhere in the world.”
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A supply with the Human First Coalition tells CNN that Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, former New York Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey and nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan had been additionally very useful in securing Rauf’s launch.
“Safiullah Rauf and Anees Khalil had been launched after being unjustly detained in Afghanistan,” State Division spokesman Ned Worth mentioned Friday. “They’re now in Qatar earlier than touring dwelling. We’re grateful for the efforts of all those that labored to safe their launch however extra work stays. Unjustly holding People captive is all the time unacceptable, and we won’t cease till each American who’s being unjustly held towards their will is ready to hug their households as soon as once more.”
A State Division official added, “These people had been detained in Afghanistan since December. When it grew to become clear they might not be permitted to depart, we deliberate and executed an method to barter their launch and reunification with their family members. This was an interagency staff that conceived, deliberate out, and executed this essential mission to convey dwelling an American citizen and an American lawful everlasting resident. We additionally took benefit of the chance to once more press for the discharge of Mark Frerichs, as we do in each assembly we have now with the Taliban. We’ll by no means let up wherever, at any time, in our efforts to convey People who’re unjustly detained again dwelling – whether or not it is Venezuela, Russia, Afghanistan, Syria, China, Iran, or elsewhere.”
Frerichs, additionally a Naval veteran, stays in Taliban custody. A civil engineer engaged on improvement tasks in Afghanistan, Frerichs was kidnapped earlier than the February 2020 deal between the Trump administration and Taliban was signed. On Friday, The New Yorker printed a video of Frerichs pleading for his launch — the primary time the Illinois native has been seen in years.
Born in an Afghan refugee camp in Pakistan, Safi Rauf got here to the US and graduated from highschool in Omaha, Nebraska. Embedded with US particular forces as a linguist in Afghanistan for 4 years, he returned to the US and enlisted within the US Navy Reserves.
“Anees and I want to thank everybody who labored tirelessly to safe our launch in addition to everybody who has supported the humanitarian efforts of our group Human First Coalition,” Rauf mentioned in his assertion. “At the moment, we’re wanting ahead to reuniting with our household and family members and in the end, I hope we are able to proceed to advocate for and search methods to serve the Afghan folks on this crucial time of want in Afghanistan.”
Rauf additionally mentioned, “Our understanding is that this exceptionally unlucky scenario arose because of a misunderstanding; we did nothing unsuitable.”
The discharge of the Rauf bothers comes because the Taliban continues to hunt recognition as Afghanistan’s official authorities from the USA and different Western nations. Since sweeping again into energy in August 2021 because the Biden administration withdrew all US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban has detained at the very least eight Westerners, CNN reported in February, together with the Rauf brothers.
Through the US withdrawal, they labored alongside the Taliban amid a chaotic evacuation of foreigners and Afghans from Kabul. Since then, US officers have been in common communication, however there are nonetheless dozens of People in Afghanistan who’ve needed to depart the nation however have been unable to as a result of there haven’t been common evacuation flights.
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