U.S Navy veteran 'held hostage' by Taliban freed in exchange for Afghan warlord

An American navy veteran detained in Afghanistan since 2020 was released by the Taliban on Monday in exchange for an ally who had spent 17 years in a US jail for heroin smuggling, Afghanistan's foreign minister said. Mark Frerichs was working as a civil engineer on construction projects in Afghanistan when he was "taken hostage", Washington previously said. Bashar Noorzai, the Taliban ally and warlord, was the last Afghan to be held by the United States, the Islamists said. Watch the video for more.