Sister of Lombard man held by Taliban, to Biden: 'Bring my brother home before it is too late'
It's been almost two years since Mark Frerichs was kidnapped by Afghan militants, and his family in Lombard still faces an agonizing wait.
Charlene Cakora has become a relentless voice for her 59-year-old brother, meeting with top U.S. national security officials - anyone who will listen to her pleas for help bringing him home.
"My brother is the only American hostage currently being held by the Taliban," she said in a statement marking the second anniversary of his kidnapping coming Monday.
A Navy veteran, Frerichs had been working in Afghanistan as a civil engineer when he was taken captive in the capital city of Kabul on Jan. 31, 2020.
From what his family has pieced together, his abductors used the pretense of a new engineering project to lure Frerichs to a meeting in Kabul, brought him against his will to a known Taliban stronghold along the Pakistan border, and then transferred him into the custody of the Haqqani network, a Taliban-affiliated insurgent group.
Frerichs was taken hostage a month before the United States signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February 2020. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth have since denounced the decision by then-President Donald Trump's administration to "forgo efforts to negotiate Mr. Frerichs' safe release and return" when officials brokered the agreement with the Taliban.
Frerichs' sister repeated that criticism Wednesday.
"We trusted the Trump administration and they did nothing, sweeping him under the rug as they concluded their peace accord with the Taliban," Cakora said in her statement.
The family also had "high hopes" for President Joe Biden's administration, Cakora said, "but they too have repeatedly put other issues ahead" of Frerichs' return.
According to his family, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last August likely left only one viable option: a prisoner exchange.
The Taliban has sought the release of Bashir Noorzai, an Afghan drug kingpin who was arrested on heroin trafficking charges and sentenced to life in U.S. prison in 2009.
"We understand that the Taliban have been clear about what they want, repeatedly telling the U.S. government and media the same answer each time they were asked how Mark can come home," Cakora said. "He is only being kept as a hostage because senior officials have not presented President Biden with a decision about taking action. Mr. President, please bring my brother home before it is too late."
Duckworth, a Hoffman Estates Democrat, issued a statement Wednesday saying that securing Frerichs' freedom remains her priority.
"Without getting into specifics about any ongoing discussions or proposals, those participating in these negotiations should explore all the options and take the perspectives of those with expertise in these sorts of situations into account," Duckworth said.
"Mark Frerichs is an American citizen and Illinoisan who served his country in uniform, and our nation should leave no stone unturned as we work to secure his safe return home."