VIENNA (AP) — An 84-year-old Austrian man who traveled to Afghanistan final yr and was arrested there was launched by the nation’s Taliban rulers, the Austrian authorities mentioned Sunday.
The Austrian Overseas Ministry in a press release recognized the person as Herbert Fritz and mentioned he arrived in Doha, Qatar from Afghanistan on Sunday afternoon. If crucial, he will likely be given medical therapy earlier than persevering with on to Austria, it mentioned.
A spokeswoman for the Austrian Overseas Ministry instructed the Related Press that Fritz had been held in a jail in Kabul. He was not instantly obtainable for remark.
Writing on X, previously Twitter, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer thanked the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his staff for his or her “robust help in releasing one in all our residents from jail in Afghanistan.”
“It’s only because of our trusted collaboration that this Austrian citizen will be capable of return residence to his daughter and grandchildren,” Nehammer mentioned.
Qatar’s Overseas Affairs ministry launched a press release on X expressing gratitude to the “caretaker authorities in Afghanistan” for releasing the Austrian.
“The State of Qatar has confirmed, regionally and globally, that it’s a trusted worldwide associate in numerous essential points, and it spares no effort in harnessing its power and skill within the areas of mediation, preventive diplomacy, and settling disputes via peaceable means … ,” it mentioned.
Austrian newspaper Der Customary reported final yr that an Austrian man had been arrested in Afghanistan and that he was a veteran far-right extremist and co-founder of a minor far-right celebration that was banned in 1988, the Nationwide Democratic Get together.
It mentioned he had been in custody for a number of weeks, since shortly after a far-right journal revealed an article he wrote titled “Trip with the Taliban” through which he gave a constructive view of life in Afghanistan underneath Taliban rule. In accordance with the report, he was accused of spying and Austrian neo-Nazis made his case public by way of Telegram channels.
The Taliban have barred girls from most areas of public life and stopped women from going to highschool past the sixth grade as a part of harsh measures they imposed after taking management of the nation in 2021, regardless of initially promising extra average rule. The Taliban seized Afghanistan as U.S. and NATO troops had been within the closing weeks of their pullout from the nation after 20 years of struggle.
In accordance with Der Customary, the Austrian has been a eager traveler to harmful places, visiting Afghanistan within the Nineteen Eighties and, a number of years in the past, visiting Kurds preventing towards the Islamic State group in northern Syria.
Austrian officers mentioned Fritz arrived in Afghanistan final Might.
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Related Press author Yesica Fisch in Jerusalem contributed.
Stephanie Liechtenstein, The Related Press
