Latest News
Freed Taliban Hostage Australian Professor Says He Never Gave Up Hope
Timothy Weeks, an Australian professor who was recently freed by the Taliban in a prisoner swap said that the “long and tortuous ordeal” had an intense effect on him.
Speaking in a press conference in Sydney on Sunday, Weeks, 50, said that hope helped him survive the ordeal.
Weeks and Kevin King, the two professors at The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) were abducted by the Taliban militant group in August 2016 outside the University in Kabul.
“At times, I felt as if my death was imminent and that I would never return to see those that I loved again,” Weeks said adding, “But, by the will of God, I am here. I am alive and I am safe. And I am free.”
“There is nothing else in the world that I need,” he said.
He said that he had never given up hope, although his freedom took longer than he expected.
“I never, ever gave up hope, and I think in that sort of situation, that if you give up hope, there is very little left for you,” said Weeks.
“I knew that I would leave that place eventually. It just took a little longer than I expected,” he added.
Weeks added that he believed that Navy SEAL teams tried repeatedly to rescue them, sometimes missing them only by “hours” after the two hostages were moved to other locations by their captors.
“I believe, and I hope this is correct, that they came in six times to try to get us, and that a number of times they missed us only by hours,” Weeks said.
One attempt came in April this year. Weeks said he was woken at 2 a.m. by his guards, who told him they were under attack from Islamic State fighters, and moved him into a tunnel beneath where they were being held.
“I believe now that it was the Navy SEALs coming in to get us,” Weeks said. “I believe they were right outside our door. The moment that we got into the tunnels, we were 1 or 2 meters underground and there was a huge bang at the front door. And our guards went up and there was a lot of machine-gun fire. They pushed me over the top into the tunnels and I fell backward and rolled and knocked myself unconscious.”
Weeks said he and King were shifted through various remote locations in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan throughout their captivity and were often kept in tiny, windowless cells.
“After almost 1,200 days our ordeal ended as abruptly as it had begun and a Black Hawk helicopter lifted me from the parched soils of Afghanistan. Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who worked on the long and complex process that led to our final release,” he said.
Weeks and King were freed in November 2019, in exchange for three senior Taliban militants including Anas Haqqani, Hafez Rashid, and Mali Khan. The prisoner exchange was part of an effort to develop good-will and confidence-building measures which may help the Afghan peace process.
Two people were killed after roof of their house collapsed in southern Helmand province on Friday night, officials said.
Abdul Bari Rashid, head of information and culture in Helmand, told Ariana News that the incident occurred in Tajkan village of Gershak district due to heavy rain.
According to him, the dead include a woman and a child. A man was injured in the incident.
This comes as 10 people have died and six others have been injured as a result of the floods in Helmand province in the last one week.
Officials at the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) say 7,000 incomplete projects of the World Bank are at risk of destruction in Afghanistan. They call on the World Bank to resume the work of these projects.
According to them, discussions have been held with the World Bank about these projects, but there has been no result yet.
“7,000 incomplete projects are being destroyed, and if the work is not started, these projects will be destroyed. We ask the World Bank to resume the work of these projects as soon as possible,” said Noorul Hadi Adel, the spokesperson of MRRD.
Meanwhile, members of the private sector also ask international institutions to resume their work in Afghanistan.
According to the officials of this sector, with the start of these projects, job opportunities will be provided for thousands of people in the country.
“These projects create employment for our people and the country will grow a lot,” said Mirwais Hajizadeh, a member of the private sector.
However, economic experts stated if the work of these projects does not start soon, they will be destroyed and the investments made in them will be wasted.
Ten people have been killed and six others injured by floods in Helmand province in the past week, local officials said on Friday.
According to officials, seven of those were members of the same family, and they were killed in Kajaki district last night.
“Most of the people moved from vulnerable areas to high lands and mountains, and thanks Allah the number of casualties is low,” Sher Mohammad Vahdat, the head of information of the Directorate of Information and Culture in Helmand, said adding rescue teams and security forces have been dispatched to help people.
It is said that the telecommunication system has also been disrupted due to the effect of floods in Kajaki district. Floods have also destroyed thousands of acres of agricultural land.
Roof collapse kills two in Helmand
Afghanistan’s economic prospects are bleak: World Bank
Iran’s foreign minister downplays drone attack, says Tehran investigating
IEA urges World Bank to resume work on 7,000 incomplete projects
Ten people killed by floods in Helmand
ATN secures TV and digital rights to broadcast IPL 2024 in Afghanistan
Blinken meets with Saudi Crown Prince to discuss Gaza
Afghanistan and India play out goalless draw in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
Dead body of Quran-burner found in Norway
ATN secures rights to produce, broadcast second season of KPL
Tahawol: China’s call for inclusive government in Afghanistan
Saar: UN’s report on poverty in Afghanistan discussed
Tahawol: Russia and Tajikistan hold joint military drills along Afghanistan border
Saar: Anti-corruption efforts & better public services discussed
Tahawol: Abdul Kabir’s recent remarks discussed
-
Sport5 days agoACL fever grows as fixtures finalized
-
Latest News5 days agoOver 50 people dead in traffic accidents over Eid
-
Latest News5 days agoUS identifies Kabul airport suicide bomber
-
Business5 days agoAfghanistan-Kazakhstan chamber of commerce opens in Herat
-
World4 days agoIsraeli military vows response to Iran attack as calls for restraint mount
-
Sport3 days agoATN secures exclusive rights to broadcast Paris 2024 Olympics
-
Latest News4 days agoPakistani police give Afghans in Balochistan one day to leave
-
Latest News4 days agoHekmatyar slams US for ‘occupying’ Afghanistan’s airspace