Lombard Man Is Last Known U.S. Hostage Of Taliban in Afghanistan

Taliban fighters stand guard at a checkpoint on the road to the Afghan foreign ministry, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 16, 2021. The U.S. military has taken over Afghanistan’s airspace as it struggles to manage a chaotic evacuation after the Taliban rolled into the capital. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

A civil engineer from suburban Lombard is the last-known U.S. hostage held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Mark Frerichs was a U.S. Navy veteran working as a civil engineer when he was kidnapped by the Taliban in the capital city of Kabul in January of last year. The Trump administration failed to make his release a condition when negotiating with the Taliban for the withdrawal of American troops. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has done little in public support of Frerichs. The Taliban is claiming control of Afghanistan.