Taliban releases Afghan-American Naval reservist held in Afghanistan
US citizen Safi Rauf and his brother Anees Khalil were released to Qatar before traveling home to the United States.
An American aid worker and his brother were released Friday after more than three months in Taliban captivity in Afghanistan and are now in Qatar, the State Department said.
Safi Rauf, an Afghan-American Naval reservist and Anees Khalil, a legal permanent resident, were transferred to the Gulf state, which represents American diplomatic interests in Afghanistan, before traveling home. CNN first reported on their release.
“We are grateful for the efforts of all those who worked to secure their release, but more work remains,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.
“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,” Price said.
