wo professors who were kidnapped in 2016 were released by the Taliban terrorist group on Nov. 18 after the Afghan government freed three militant commanders.
Kevin King, an American citizen, and Timothy Weeks, an Australian citizen, were held for more than three years before being released. They were abducted in August 2016 while leaving the campus of the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul.
American Special Forces tried to rescue them several days later but were unable to locate them.
In a video released the next year, King and Weeks implored President Donald Trump to arrange for their release.
Kingsâ family issued a statement later Tuesday saying he was now safe with U.S. officials in Afghanistan and getting the medical care he needs ahead of his return home to be reunited with his family. It was not clear if Weeks was also with Australian officials.
âWe are so happy to hear that my brother has been freed and is on his way home to us,â said Kingâs sister, Stephanie Miller. âThis has been a long and painful ordeal for our entire family, and his safe return has been our highest priority. We appreciate the support we have received and ask for privacy as we await Kevinâs safe return.â
Their freedom came hours after the Afghan government freed three Taliban prisoners and sent them to Qatar. They included Anas Haqqani, the younger brother of the Talibanâs deputy Sirajuddin Haqqani, who also leads the fearsome Haqqani network. The other two were Hajji Malik Khan, an uncle of Haqqani and a Haqqani lieutenant, Hafiz Abdul Rashid.
It appears the Taliban had refused to hand over the two professors until they received proof their men had reached Qatar. A Taliban statement said the prisoner exchange was a good step âfor building trustâ and something that âcan help in peace process.â
In a statement, the American University of Afghanistan said: âAUAF welcomes the news of the release of our colleagues, Kevin King and Timothy Weeks, who had been held hostage since Aug. 7, 2016.
âThe AUAF community shares the relief of the families of Kevin and Timothy, and we look forward to providing all the support we can to Kevin and Tim and their families,â it added. âWe wish to extend our gratitude to all involved in the release of our colleagues. The AUAF community, our students, faculty, and staff, have keenly felt the absence of our two colleagues even as we have continually urged their release over these past three years.â
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani a week ago announced the âconditional releaseâ of the three ranking Taliban figures, saying at a press event broadcast live on state television that it was a very hard decision he felt he had to make in the interest of the Afghan people.
Kingâs family gave a special mention to Washingtonâs peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and National Security Adviser Robert OâBrien for their âbehind the scenesâ efforts to get Ghani on board with the prisoner swap. Pompeo and OâBrien made separate calls to Ghani on Monday.