Kidnapped contractor's Lombard dad: I have deep faith my son will be found
The father of a Lombard man kidnapped in Afghanistan says he trusts the president and the FBI to find his son, an American contractor believed taken last week by Taliban-aligned militants in Afghanistan.
"I'm a person of deep faith, so my trust in God is an anchor for me," Art Frerichs said about his son, Mark R. Frerichs, in a statement released through a family friend. "I also have deep faith in President Donald Trump, the FBI, and our military officials to help secure the safe release of my son."
"There's no other information available to share at this time. I am very grateful for all of the wonderful gestures of kindness and prayers being offered. Please continue those."
Frerichs declined to reveal more details about his 57-year-old son's past, including that of his childhood in Lombard and his years in the Navy, for security concerns.
But former classmates of Mark Frerichs posted on Facebook that they attended Glenbard East High School with him.
According to a report posted by Newsweek magazine, Mark Frerichs is a former Navy diver and the managing director for International Logistical Support. The Virginia-based firm is a U.S. government contractor.
According to his LinkedIn account, he has worked as a civil engineer in several conflict zones from Iraq to Sudan during the past 10 years, Newsweek said.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, U.S. officials believe the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network orchestrated the operation.
"I am aware of reports that an American citizen from Illinois has been taken captive in Afghanistan. My staff and I are working closely with the State Department and (Department of Defense) to gather more information," Sen. Tammy Duckworth said Thursday. "My heart goes out to the family of this individual and we will all work hard to get him released."
Marvin Weinbaum, director of Afghanistan and Pakistan studies at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said the Khost area, where Frerichs was working, is a difficult and dangerous area for contractors. The territory is controlled by the Haqqani network.
He said the network is "notorious for kidnapping."
"And they're probably more brutal than most," Weinbaum said.
Why take Mark Frerichs?
"People are taken occasionally because of who they are rather than what they do," Weinbaum said. "Probably, they didn't single him out as someone they wanted. But he was picked up as anybody might have because he was exposed."
Weinbaum said the first step for those who want to free Frerichs is to identify that a group has him and that he's in good shape, then determine what the kidnappers want.
"Kidnapping is a regular source of income for the Taliban and the Islamic State," he said. "Kidnapping is right up there with smuggling, poppy growing and the rest. That means not just Americans or foreigners but it means Afghans, too."
Weinbaum said the last major kidnapping in Afghanistan involved two professors from American University in Kabul in 2016. The two men - one American, one Australian - were held by the Taliban until November 2019. They were released just hours after three senior commanders of the Haqqani network were released.
"It may take a while," he said. "Even with a ransom, you may not hear for quite a while as to who's claiming it and what they want. And sometimes this is communicated not publicly but rather through informal sources."
"So there may very well be a response, but we shouldn't necessarily expect it will be soon."