American Aid Worker Released After Lengthy Detention by Taliban

The Taliban released an Afghan-American humanitarian-aid worker, along with his brother, after several months of captivity, resolving one of the many disputes creating friction between the new Afghan government and Western nations withholding financial support while they judge the group’s intentions.

Safi Rauf, a Virginia resident and aid worker who helped thousands leave Afghanistan as the Taliban seized power last August, and his brother, Anees Khalil, were released and flew to Qatar, according to activists working with the pair. Mr. Khalil is a U.S. permanent resident.

The two brothers were among a small group of Westerners detained by the Taliban after the group took power last year, triggering a chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces and the evacuation of more than 120,000 people from the country.

Mr. Rauf is head of the Human First Coalition, a nonprofit organization that helped at least 7,000 people, including 1,000 Americans, leave Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover.

An Afghan who was born in a refugee camp in Pakistan, Mr. Rauf moved to the U.S. as a teenager and later served as an interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan.

His experience in Afghanistan, including his contacts in the country, allowed him to play a leading role in the rescue efforts.

Mr. Rauf and his brother were in Kabul in December to meet officials about their work when the Taliban detained them. The U.S., Qatari and British governments secured their release. The details of their release and captivity weren’t immediately clear.

“Our understanding is that this exceptionally unfortunate situation arose due to a misunderstanding,” Mr. Rauf said in a statement released by his group. “We did nothing wrong.”

Activists working with the brothers said the two were given regular meals, but only allowed to talk to their families on a few occasions. They said no concessions were made as part of their release.

Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, said “unjustly holding Americans captive is always unacceptable, and we will not stop until every American who is being unjustly held against their will is able to hug their families once again.”

Another American, Mark Frerichs, a civil engineer working on development projects who was detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan in January 2020, has yet to be released.

On Friday, the New Yorker magazine published the first video of Mr. Frerichs since his captivity. In a short video the magazine said was obtained by a source in Afghanistan, Mr. Frerichs said it was made in November 2021, three months after the Taliban seized control of the country. Mr. Frerichs, wearing a black cap and white shirt, sits in front of a nondescript background and appeals to the Taliban for his freedom.

“I have been patiently waiting for my release,” Mr. Frerichs said in the short video. “I’d like to ask the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan: Please release me. Release me so that I may be reunited with my family. Thank you.”

Charlene Cakora, the sister of Mr. Frerichs, called the video “an important indicator of the Taliban’s interest in seeking to arrange for Mark’s immediate release.”

Ms. Cakora urged President Biden to “take bold and decisive action to bring Mark home.”

“President Biden, statements are not enough,” she said. “You have had a way to bring Mark home since you took office. Now we need you to act. Please don’t leave my brother behind. Mark, we love you and are doing all we can to bring you home. Please do not lose hope.”

In its negotiations to free the two brothers, a senior State Department official said, U.S. officials urged the Taliban to free Mr. Frerichs.

“We will never let up anywhere, at any time, in our efforts to bring Americans who are unjustly detained back home—whether it’s Venezuela, Russia, Afghanistan, Syria, China, Iran, or elsewhere,” the official said.

The detention of Westerners has raised continued concerns about the Taliban. The U.S. and its allies have cut off most support for Afghanistan as they assess how the former militant group will govern.

Earlier this week, the World Bank froze major projects in Afghanistan after the Taliban prevented girls from returning to secondary school as promised.

Five British citizens are still detained in Afghanistan. They were taken into Taliban custody separately late last year, and face unspecified accusations. Most had worked in the security sector. Before their arrests, they were working openly in Afghanistan, and some had met Taliban officials. The British government has been pressing the Taliban to release them.

Among those detained is Peter Jouvenal, a former journalist and businessman who had worked and lived in Afghanistan on-and-off for decades. A dual British-German national married to an Afghan woman, Mr. Jouvenal was in Kabul scouting for investment opportunities in sectors such as mining when he was detained in December. He is 64 years old and needs medication to treat his high blood pressure.

“The Taliban have an opportunity to improve relations with the international community and Britain in particular by releasing these captives, but they have not taken it. It’s extremely frustrating for Peter’s friends and family,” said David Loyn, a former BBC journalist and a close friend of Mr. Jouvenal. “They continue to hold an innocent man who was trying to do his best for Afghanistan.”