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Afghanistan

Taliban kidnaps a US contractor in southeastern Afghanistan

2020-02-06

[KhaamaPress] According to the reports, Death Eaters linked to the Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
kidnapped a US contractor on Wednesday in Khost province
... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name...
57-year old American government contractor Mark Frerichs, a former US Navy diver was reportedly taken hostage by Taliban group in Afghanistan southeastern Khost province, Newsweek reported.

According to Newsweek, US officials believe the Haqqani network
...a branch of the Afghan Taliban, based in Pakistain. The network is a family business founded by the later Jalaluddin Haqqani...
, an insurgency group linked to the Taliban and active in the area since the 1970s, is behind this hostage.

No individual or group has officially claimed the responsibility for the incident.

Numerous US agencies are reportedly trying to recover Frerichs, including the Departments of State and Defense and the FBI, Newsweek reported. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday evening. The Defense Department referred to inquiries on the matter to the State Department.

"The welfare and safety of US citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State," a State Department spokesperson told in a statement, adding that it had no further comment.

This is the first hostage case reported during 12-months old peace negotiations between the Taliba and United States which kicked off last February.

Anas Haqqani and two other senior Taliban members detained by the Afghan government were released in exchange for the release of two Haqqani-held professors who were working for the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF).

Posted by:trailing wife

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