WASHINGTON — A Democratic senator is calling on the State Department to prioritize the return of Mark Frerichs, an American contractor believed to have been taken by a Taliban-linked militant network in Afghanistan earlier this year.
The letter from Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois comes weeks after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held what are likely his last meetings with the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators trying to hammer out a peace deal. It is unclear to what extent Frerichs, who is one of Duckworth’s constituents, was discussed during those meetings.
But in the letter to Pompeo, which was released Monday, Duckworth complained that the family has not had any recent, direct communication with U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. She requested a call with Khalilzad before Dec. 23 to “discuss the latest developments in Mr. Frerichs’ case and how his release is being factored into negotiations.”
“Especially now, as the Administration pushes forward on an accelerated withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan without public mention of Mr. Frerichs’ continued captivity, his family is questioning what efforts are underway to secure his return,” Duckworth wrote in the letter, which was also sent to the White House.
