An Australian academic previously held hostage by the Taliban has returned to Afghanistan to “celebrate” the regime’s one year in power.
Key points:
Timothy Weeks was a teacher at the American University in Kabul when he was abducted at gunpoint
He was held hostage for three years before being released in a prisoner swap in 2019
He has since converted to Islam and has previously praised the work of the Taliban
In 2016, Timothy Weeks was a teacher at the American University in Kabul when he, along with his US colleague Kevin King, were abducted at gunpoint and held hostage for three years.
While locked up, the Taliban released videos of the captives, showing them pale and gaunt.
In one of the videos, Mr Weeks pleaded with then-Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to negotiate his release.
A prisoner-swap deal was made in 2019 that saw the two men released in exchange for three Taliban prisoners, including Anas Haqqani, who is today a high-ranking Taliban commander.
