Biden calls for release of US hostage, a Navy veteran, in Afghanistan
By The Associated Press
Mark Frerichs, a contractor from Illinois, poses in Iraq in this undated photo obtained from Twitter that he would include with his resume when job hunting. Frerichs was abducted in Afghanistan in January 2020. (Twitter via AP)
Frerichs, a civil engineer and contractor from Lombard, Illinois, was kidnapped in January 2020 from the capital of Kabul. He is believed to be in the custody of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network.
President Joe Biden speaks at Atlanta University Center Consortium, Jan. 11, 2022, in Atlanta. President Biden, on Sunday, jan. 30, 2022 is calling for the release of U.S. Navy veteran Mark Frerichs, who was taken hostage in Afghanistan nearly two years ago. (Patrick Semansky/AP, file)
“Threatening the safety of Americans or any innocent civilians is always unacceptable, and hostage-taking is an act of particular cruelty and cowardice,” President Joe Biden said in a statement to mark the second anniversary of the kidnapping on Monday. “The Taliban must immediately release Mark before it can expect any consideration of its aspirations for legitimacy. This is not negotiable.”
The statement came as Afghanistan faces a thorny humanitarian crisis following the U.S. withdrawal in August. The Taliban quickly seized control of much of the country and the foreign aid that been flowing into the country largely halted, putting at risk the lives of millions of Afghans who could starve or freeze to death.
Charlene Cakora, Frerichs’ sister, issued a statement saying that her family is “grateful” for Biden’s words.
“But what we really want is to have Mark home,” she said. “We know the president has options in front of him to make that happen and hope Mark’s safe return will become a priority.”
Fort McCoy was one of eight military installations across the country that temporarily housed more than 76,000 Afghans who were forced to flee their homeland.