(Washington) United States President Joe Biden on Sunday called on the Taliban, in power in Afghanistan, to release an American they “held for two years”, Mark Frerichs, a prerequisite for any hope for the regime to make a not towards “legitimacy”.
Posted at 4:24 p.m.
“The Taliban must release Mark immediately before they can expect any recognition of their aspirations for legitimacy. It is not negotiable, “wrote Joe Biden, recalling that it will be” two years “, Monday, that this veteran of the American Navy (US Navy) and civil engineer was kidnapped in Afghanistan.
“Mark is an Illinois native. A son, a brother. And his family endured two harrowing years — praying for his safety, wondering where and how he is, eagerly awaiting his return.
In a forum on the site of the washington postpublished Wednesday, his sister, Charlene Cakora, calls on Joe Biden to “bring home (his) brother”, whom she considers “the last American held hostage in Afghanistan”.
In August 2020, the FBI offered a $5 million bounty for any information leading to the American’s return. His abduction in February 2020 came as the United States and the Taliban entered the home stretch of negotiations that led to a historic agreement on February 29 after more than 18 years of war.
According to the sister of Mark Frerichs, it is the Haqqani network, considered by the United States as a “terrorist” group, which is behind the kidnapping of her brother.
In the White House statement, Joe Biden promises that his “administration will continue to work tirelessly until every American unjustly detained against their will returns home”.
No state has yet recognized the Taliban regime, but its representatives, including their Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, met last Sunday and this week with Western diplomats in Oslo, during a first official visit to Europe.
During these exchanges, Westerners linked the resumption of aid to Afghanistan to respect for human rights, while more than half of the population is threatened by hunger this winter.