Afghanistan Times
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KABUL — A former Taliban commander has pleaded guilty to taking an American journalist and two Afghan nationals hostage in Afghanistan and Pakistan more than a decade ago, the U.S. Justice Department announced Friday.
Haji Najibullah, 49, an Afghan national, admitted to kidnapping David Rohde, a former Reuters correspondent, in 2008, along with two Afghan citizens. Najibullah, who was charged in 2020, now faces life in prison.
In addition to the hostage-taking case, Najibullah pleaded guilty to charges related to deadly attacks on U.S. forces in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009. Prosecutors said Taliban fighters under his command repeatedly targeted American and French troops, with Najibullah boasting about these attacks in an interview with a French journalist.
“These terrorist attacks demonstrated utter disregard for humanity, and Najibullah finally admitted to his role in the premature deaths of our citizens,” said Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton of the Southern District of New York emphasized the ongoing commitment to hold terrorists accountable, stating, “We will aggressively pursue those who harm Americans, wherever they are in the world.”
