Timothy Weeks has returned to Afghanistan where he was held hostage by the Taliban, praising his former captors for marking one year in power:
An Australian man who was held hostage by the Taliban for three years before being released in a prisoner exchange deal has been given a "hero's welcome" at Kabul airport where he praised the regime’s one year in power.
He and his colleague Kevin King were released in 2019 in exchange for three senior commanders of the Haqqani network, a Taliban faction known for staging guerilla-style attacks on US-led NATO forces and Afghanistan soldiers.Since his release, Mr Weeks converted to Islam and has praised the Taliban over the last few years.
Overnight, videos of Mr Weeks have since emerged at Kabul airport, where he is being given a hero’s welcome, where he said he was there to celebrate the Taliban’s first anniversary back in power.Mr Weeks, who is also known by his Muslim name Jibrael Umar, was dressed in traditional Afghan attire. “I’m also coming to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, who I have stood behind.“I spent three and a half years with Taliban soldiers, and I saw these people in a light that nobody else has been able to do,” he said.“The Afghan nation is known for its magnificent hospitality tradition. Mr Jibrael deserves this hospitality the most for his unwavering love for this country and its people,” spokesman Khalid Zadran said in a tweet.
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