By Oyintari Ben
A renowned Afghan tribal leader who had been convicted of drug trafficking was released by the United States in return for the release of Mark R. Frerichs, an American engineer, according to the Taliban Government in Afghanistan, which claimed to have liberated him on Monday.
Supporters of the group celebrated the release of the tribal chief, Haji Bashir Noorzai, who has strong ties to the Taliban, as a significant symbolic triumph and a demonstration of the group’s unwavering devotion to its backers.
Mr. Frerichs, who had been imprisoned by the Taliban since 2020, had been turned up to American authorities at Kabul International Airport on Monday morning, according to the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, who made the announcement during a news conference in Kabul.
In exchange, the United States freed Mr. Noorzai, a senior Taliban fundraiser in the 1990s who was well-known for his close ties to Mullah Mohammad Omar, the organization’s founder. In 2008, Mr. Noorzai was found guilty in the United States of participating in an international drug trafficking conspiracy and was given a life sentence.
At the news conference, Mr. Muttaqi claimed that the Taliban “is willing to settle problems through negotiation with all, including the United States.” Mr. Noorzai, who was released by American authorities on Monday and returned to Afghanistan on Tuesday, was also there.
“Bringing the discussions that led to Mark’s liberation to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take lightly,” President Biden said in a statement issued by the White House on Monday. He claimed that his administration “continues to prioritize the safe repatriation of all Americans who are being held hostage or wrongfully incarcerated abroad,” but he did not go into specifics regarding the discussions or the conclusions.
After receiving an initial assessment from US officials, two top Biden administration officials stated that Mr. Frerichs was in Doha and seemed to be in stable health during a teleconference with reporters on Monday morning.
Since the Taliban took over in Afghanistan last year, it was the first recorded prisoner swap between the two countries.
On Monday morning, when Mr. Noorzai arrived back in Afghanistan, he was welcomed by a sizable group of Taliban security personnel wearing black uniforms. As he gleefully shook their hands, they strung strings of vibrantly colored flowers around his neck.
In a statement made during a news conference later that day, Mr. Noorzai said, “I am happy to be in the capital of my country among my brothers.”
