American Mark Frerichs freed in prisoner swap for high-ranking Taliban official
CBSSep 19, 2022
The Taliban and the US have completed a prisoner swap following extensive negotiations, Afghanistan's foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said on Monday.
Mattaqi said Mark Frerichs, a US Navy veteran who was kidnapped in February 2020 while working as a contractor in Afghanistan, was exchanged for Bashir Noorzai - reportedly a key Taliban ally held at Guantanamo Bay since 2005 on drug charges. The exchange took place at Kabul airport.
This deal demonstrates that, with careful negotiation, the US government and the Taliban can agree on shared problems. Perhaps this swap could lead to further progress in other discussions, and enhanced stability in Afghanistan, which is struggling deeply and growing isolated from the global community.
Despite this deal, the US government and the Taliban remain oceans apart. Not only is the US refusing to release Afghanistan's $9B in funds, but there are also ongoing concerns about human rights, including freedom of speech and girls' education in the country. Deep tensions remain between the Taliban and the international community, making a meaningful detente suspect at best.
There's a 25% chance that the United States will recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.