Displaying items by tag: hostages

The USA has filed criminal charges against Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, and five other individuals for orchestrating the deadly attack on 7 October which killed 1,200 people, including forty Americans. The charges include conspiracy to support a terrorist organisation, conspiracy to murder US nationals, and conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. The complaint alleges support from Iran and Hezbollah. Three of the defendants are believed to be dead, while Sinwar remains in hiding. These charges are part of a broader effort to dismantle Hamas’s operations, but the White House also says it is actively working with Egypt and Qatar on a new ceasefire and hostage deal. In other developments, in Israel there have been three days of huge protests against Benjamin Netanyahu, and the UK government has decided to suspend sale of certain types of arms sales to Israel because they might be used in violation of international humanitarian law.

On 30 November Israel and Hamas struck a last-minute agreement to extend their ceasefire for a seventh day. Both sides agreed to extend the truce, with Hamas releasing more hostages and Israel receiving a list of those to be freed. So far, 97 hostages have been released by Hamas and 180 prisoners by Israel: however, there are reports that israel has been arresting more Palestinians. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/11/28/arrests Washington hoped the truce could be extended further to free more hostages and let more aid reach Gaza. The ceasefire has allowed 220 lorries a day to bring in humanitarian aid to the strip, but two-thirds of its residents are homeless and more than 15,000 have been killed during the Israeli campaign. The USA has urged Israel to specify safe zones for Palestinian civilians if and when its offensive resumes. Meanwhile, soon after the agreement three people have been killed and six injured by Hamas gunmen in Jerusalem: see

Israel will begin to implement four-hour ’humanitarian pauses’ in northern Gaza each day to allow people to flee, the White House has said. A spokesman called the move a step in the right direction, and said the USA wanted the pauses to continue as long as they are needed. Israel has committed to announcing each window at least three hours in advance. The US still does not support a ceasefire in Gaza at this time, but aims to see at least 150 humanitarian trucks entering the strip each day. Fierce fighting has continued, and the health ministry in Gaza (controlled by Hamas) says that the number of Palestinians killed is now more than 10,000. Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad has released a video of two hostages, and offered to release them if certain conditions were met. The hostages criticised Benjamin Netanyahu; it was not certain if they were reading from a script. A humanitarian conference in Paris today called for a total ceasefire: see

Two western hostages held for more than three years by Taliban forces in Afghanistan were freed today in south-eastern Zabul province in exchange for three Taliban commanders held by the Kabul government, an Afghan official tells NPR's Diaa Hadid. The official requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the news media.

The Taliban has issued a statement saying they released 10 Afghan soldiers along with the two hostages. The group called the prisoner exchange "a step forward in good-will and confidence building measures" that could help the peace process.

Kevin King, an American, and Timothy Weeks, an Australian, were abducted at gunpoint from a car in 2016 just outside the walls of the American University of Afghanistan, in Kabul. Both worked as teachers at the university.

Last week Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said his government would release three prominent Taliban figures in a deal securing the freedom of King and Weeks.

In an address broadcast on state television, Ghani said he had granted the "conditional release" of three members of the Haqqani network, which is linked to the Taliban.

"We have decided to release these three Taliban prisoners who were arrested outside of Afghanistan," Ghani said, in order "to facilitate direct peace negotiations," The Associated Press reported.

The Taliban figures that were released are Anas Haqqani, Haji Mali Khan and Hafiz Rashid.

Anas Haqqani is the younger brother of the Taliban's deputy leader. He is also the son of the founder of the Haqqani Network, a Sunni Islamist militant organization that's responsible for some of the highest-profile attacks in the Afghan war, including assaults on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel and the Indian Embassy in Kabul.

He has been in Afghan custody since 2014, when he was arrested in Bahrain, the AP reports.

A Taliban official said the three prisoners were flown to Qatar Tuesday, where the Taliban maintains a political office. The release of King and Weeks was apparently held up until the Taliban confirmed its prisoners had been turned over to its representatives in Qatar.

"Today, the United States welcomes the release of Professors Kevin King and Timothy Weeks," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement hours after the release. "Both men were successfully recovered this morning, are in the care of the U.S. military, and will soon be reunited with their loved ones."

While saying that the U.S. "condemns the taking of innocent civilians as hostages," Pompeo also added that the U.S. "welcomes" the Taliban's goodwill gesture.

The American University of Afghanistan said in a statement last week that it was "encouraged to hear reports of the possible release of our two colleagues .... While AUAF is not part of these discussions, we continue to urge the immediate and safe return of our faculty members who have been held in captivity, away from their friends and families, for more than three years."

U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass also said last week the U.S. "strongly supported" the release of the three Haqqani commanders, according to Afghan news site TOLOnews.

"This is the latest in a series of courageous steps that President Ghani and the Afghan government have taken to respond to the Afghan people's overwhelming desire for peace," Bass told TOLOnews.

The Taliban released two videos of the hostages in 2017, including one that showed the captives looking sickly, though they appeared healthier in the later video, the AP reports.

A separate attack by the Taliban on the American University in 2016 killed at least seven students and six guards.

President Trump has made a priority of getting American hostages released, and has secured the freedom of about 10 hostages held abroad.

More: https://whro.org/news/5171-taliban-release-american-and-australian-hostages-in-exchange-for-3-militants      Written by Laurel Wamsley

Pray: for these continued efforts to warm relations between the parties in Afghanistan and abroad to lead to positive and constructive peace talks.

Pray: for the people of Afghanistan who yearn for a peaceful and safe country.

Hauwa Liman, a midwife with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), was killed days after her kidnappers set a deadline. Ms Liman was taken with two others in the northern town of Rann last March. Fellow-midwife Saifura Ahmed Khorsa was killed last month. Ms Loksha remains a hostage. A 15-year-old schoolgirl is also still being held by the same group, which is affiliated to a faction of Boko Haram. Most of the other 110 students who were kidnapped have now been freed but the girl, who reportedly refused to convert to Islam, remains in captivity. The ICRC's regional director said there was no justification for the execution of innocent young healthcare workers, and feared for its implication on their work in the region. The information and culture minister said that the government would ‘keep the negotiations open’ and continue to work to free Ms Loksha and the schoolgirl. Pray for this work.

Rebel fighters in the Philippines are reportedly using dozens of Christians - including a priest - as human shields, amid an ongoing battle to retake Marawi City. The IS-linked Maute group is believed to be hiding behind 100 Christian hostages after President Duterte ordered intense bombing raids on the rebel zone. Abdullah Maute, one of the group’s leaders, said he would free Father Suganob in return for his parents, currently held by police. His request was refused by the president, who said that any bargaining with terrorists was ‘against government policy’. Most people fled from the city in May; those left have been forced to convert to Islam and be lackeys to the Mautes. The women and girls have become sex slaves and lost all dignity. The White House said, ‘These cowardly terrorists killed Philippine law enforcement officials and endangered the lives of innocent citizens. The US is a proud ally of the Philippines, and we will continue to work with them to address shared threats to the peace and security of our countries.’

The Maute group, an Islamic extremist group linked to IS, captured nine Christians, tied their hands together and shot them dead in Marawi city, according to the Mail Online. Images circulated online show the Christians lying dead face-down in the grass. Reports say villagers are too afraid to move the bodies because terrorists are still in the area. News of the murders comes just days after the same group captured a Catholic priest, Father Teresito Suganob, the church’s secretary, two working students, and a number of parishioners. The militants are holding their hostages at an undisclosed location. They also set fire to the cathedral in Marawi. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines urged the government to make the safety of the hostages top priority.