By Samuel Agbelusi
On Tuesday, the United States announced the freedom of a convicted Afghan drug lord imprisoned in the US in a prisoner swap with the Taliban that saw the release of a US Navy veteran held in Afghanistan since 2020.
US President Joe Biden on Monday welcomed the release of Mark Frerichs, who was abducted while working as a civil engineer in Afghanistan.
But he acknowledged that the deal “required difficult decisions”, referring to the release of Bashir Noorzai, a Taliban ally who was serving a life sentence in a US prison on drug charges.
The prisoner exchange comes more than a year after the Taliban took over the Afghan capital amid the withdrawal of US troops in August 2021.
Washington has not recognised the Taliban government. But on Monday, officials in both countries said the prisoner swap was the result of lengthy negotiations, suggesting that communication channels between the Biden administration and the Taliban are open.
