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Ned Price: IEA release two Americans detained in Afghanistan
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Tuesday released two American nationals in what appeared to be a goodwill gesture, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who indicated that the IEA were holding other US citizens.
Price declined to identify the freed Americans, and he said they were not released as “part of any swap of prisoners or detainees. There was no money that changed hands.”
“We are providing these two US nationals with all appropriate assistance. They will soon be reunited with their loved ones and we are absolutely gratified to see that,” he told a State Department news briefing.
“We understand this, or at least the Taliban (IEA) characterized this to us, as a goodwill gesture,” said Price.
The pair was released three months after the IEA freed Mark Frerichs, an American engineer, in an exchange for Bashir Noorzai, a senior member of the IEA held by the United States since 2005 and granted clemency by US President Joe Biden, Reuters reported.
Asked if there were other Americans being detained in Afghanistan, Price indicated there were.
“We continue to raise with the Taliban (IEA) the need for the immediate release of any of US nationals detained in Afghanistan, but I’m not in a position to offer specifics,” he said.
The United States has held regular contacts with the IEA since US-led forces completed a withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 after 20 years of war as the Western-backed former government collapsed and the IEA seized Kabul.
The Ministry of Interior has announced the delivery of several new, modern cars to the General Directorate of Traffic Police, replacing the older fleet that consisted mostly of trucks.
According to a ministry statement, the new vehicles, equipped with special traffic police colors, markings, and modern equipment, are expected to play a key role in maintaining traffic order in cities and on main roads, preventing accidents, and providing faster services to the public.
Azerbaijan has released 14 Afghan nationals from its prisons, Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.
The ministry said in a statement that the release happened following efforts by Afghanistan’s embassy in Baku.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its appreciation to Azerbaijan and relevant authorities for their cooperation and humanitarian action. It also reaffirmed that the IEA will continue to follow up on and resolve the cases of Afghan prisoners.
Former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, says Washington is largely satisfied with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) efforts against terrorism, though progress in broader relations remains hindered by the issue of prisoners.
In an interview with NDTV, Khalilzad said the United States views the detention of at least two American citizens in Afghanistan as the primary obstacle to improving ties.
Khalilzad highlighted what he described as a “significant degree of satisfaction” in the U.S. assessment of the IEA’s counterterrorism commitments under the Doha Agreement. He said the IEA continue to fight Daesh, a group they have long considered an enemy. Many Daesh militants, he added, have been pushed out of Afghanistan and are now in Pakistan.
At the same time, Khalilzad said concerns remain regarding human rights and the political role of non-IEA Afghans.
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