Mark Fririch, an American held captive in Afghanistan for more than two years, has been freed in a prisoner swap, a senior Biden administration official confirmed Monday.
“Getting Mark home was a top priority for President Biden and his national security team,” the official said.
Haji Bashir Norzai, a prominent member of the Taliban who had been in a US prison for 17 years for drug trafficking, was pardoned as part of the deal, the official said.
Frerichs, a Navy veteran from Illinois, was abducted in late January 2020 while performing contracting work in Afghanistan. It is believed to be held by the Haqqani network, which is a faction of the Taliban. He was gone for less than a month before the US signed a peace deal with the Taliban.
Frerichs’ family praised Biden for securing his release, with his sister, Charlene Kakora, saying in a statement, “there were some who argued against the deal that brought Mark home, but President Biden did what it was correct. He saved the life of an innocent American veteran.”
“I am so glad to hear that my brother is safe and on his way home. Our family prayed for this every day in the more than 31 months he was a hostage,” Cakora said. “We never gave up hope that he would survive and return safely to our home.”
Earlier this year, The New Yorker published a video of Frerichs pleading for his release — the first time the Illinois native had been seen in years.
“I’ve been patiently waiting for my release,” Frerichs says in the short video, which he says is being recorded on November 28, 2021.
After her brother’s abduction, Cakora called on the US government to do more to secure his release, escalating those calls ahead of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Earlier this year, the Biden administration secured the release of Afghan-American marine reservist Safi Rauf and his brother Anees Khalil, a US green card holder, who had been held by the Taliban since December.
This story has been updated with additional details.
