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| Afghanistan |
| Taliban free two Americans in ‘goodwill gesture’: US |
| 2022-12-21 |
The Taliban have freed two Americans in detention in Afghanistan, the State Department said Tuesday, on the same day that the militant regime faced condemnation for banning women at universities. “This, we understand, to have been a goodwill gesture on the part of the Taliban. This was not part of any swap of prisoners or detainees. There was no money that exchanged hands,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters. The two Americans were released to Qatar, which has played a key role supporting US interests in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover. Price said that confidentiality rules forbade him from offering more details on the two Americans. CNN reported that one of them was Ivor Shearer, a filmmaker arrested in August with his Afghan producer -- whose fate is unclear -- while filming the site of a US drone attack that killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #6 How many of those "being held' went there to grift because they could not cut it in the grift big leagues so many expats work in various places around the world? |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2022-12-21 15:33 |
| #5 Are you including green card holders and Americans-by-marriage or -birth who happened to be living in or visiting the Olde Countrie when everything went pear-shaped, Slenter Panda4300? If all of the above, my sense is thousands or tens of thousands. There were some rough estimates in August-October, 2021; the official numbers started in multiple tens, then just kept growing by orders of magnitude. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2022-12-21 14:57 |
| #4 Out of curiosity, how many more Americans are being held in Afghanistan? You’d think the State Department website would show the count but it doesn’t |
| Posted by: Slenter Panda4300 2022-12-21 08:51 |
| #3 Dec 12, 2022 — A large package containing around $40 million in cash for "humanitarian aid" was seen on an airport tarmac in Afghanistan, Dec 16, 2022 — U.S. President Joe Biden has signed an executive order that will free up some $7 billion in Afghan reserves that were frozen after the Taliban took control. Suddenly, the Taliban have freed two Americans held in an Afghanistan prison. 🤑 I am sure the White House and Dept of State will soon reassure us that this was not a $$$ for Hostage deal. 🤑 |
| Posted by: NN2N1 2022-12-21 08:20 |
| #2 This release has made no impact on my WNBA Fantasy roster. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2022-12-21 05:43 |
| #1 There was no money that exchanged hands,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters What made you bring that up Ned ? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2022-12-21 01:50 |