Mark Frerichs: American held captive in Afghanistan for greater than 2 years is launched in prisoner swap

Mark Frerichs: American held captive in Afghanistan for more than 2 years is released in prisoner swap

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CNN
 — 

Mark Frerichs, an American held captive in Afghanistan for more than two years, has been released in a prisoner swap, a senior Biden administration official confirmed Monday.

“Bringing Mark home has been a top priority for President Biden and his national security team,” the official said.

Haji Bashir Noorzai, a prominent member of the Taliban, who was in prison in the US on drug trafficking charges for 17 years, was granted clemency as part of the deal, the official said.

Frerichs, a Navy veteran from Illinois, was kidnapped in late January 2020 while he was doing construction contract work in Afghanistan. He was believed to be held by the Haqqani network, which is a faction of the Taliban. He was missing for less than a month before the US signed a peace deal with the Taliban.

Frerichs was able to walk on his own onto the aircraft, a source…

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