Washington, March 30 (IANS) Faye Hall, an American woman who was recently freed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, thanked US President Donald Trump in a video message for securing her release.
Trump on Saturday shared a video on social media of Faye Hall, the freed American woman who had been detained by the Taliban since February.
“Thank you for bringing me home. I’ve never been so proud to be an American citizen,” Hall said in the video posted by Trump, expressing her gratitude to the President and saying she was “so glad” he was in office.
Hall also took a moment to acknowledge the women still detained in Afghanistan.
“They’re waiting for you to come and set them free,” Hall said in her message.
“Thank you, Faye — So honoured by your words!” Trump’s post read, accompanied by the video of Hall.
Hall was released on Thursday “following a court order and with logistical support from Qatar,” which has been mediating on the US’ behalf, a source told CNN.
Hall, a British couple and their Afghan translator had been detained since February 1 while travelling to the central Bamiyan province of Afghanistan.
Hall’s release comes after Trump envoy Adam Boehler and former Trump official Zalmay Khalilzad travelled to Kabul to secure the release of American George Glezmann, which was also mediated by Qatar.
In a post on X, Khalilzad announced Hall’s release, stating, “American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home.”
Taliban officials did not reveal the cause for the arrest, however media reports have said that Hall was detained on charges of using drones without authorisation.
The British couple detained with Hall remain in Taliban custody.
A senior Taliban official said Hall was held by the Haqqani network to gain concessions from the US governments.
Hall was released after the US dropped its bounties on senior Haqqani officials including a $10 million reward for Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban government’s Interior Minister.
The Haqqani network was responsible for some of the most deadly attacks during the war in Afghanistan.
Hall is believed to be the fourth American released from Afghanistan since January.
Earlier this month, George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was freed after more than two years in custody.
–IANS
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