A 30-second video of an American being held captive in Afghanistan for two years—showing him alive as of November—was sent to The New Yorker. “I’ve been patiently waiting for my release,” aid worker Mark Frerichs, 59, says as he reads from what appears to be a script. “Release me so that I may be reunited with my family.” Frerichs is the only American hostage in Taliban custody, and his family remains frustrated that the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan without securing his freedom. The Taliban has said it will let Frerichs go in exchange for the release of Hajji Bashar Noorzai, a tribal leader locked up on drug-trafficking charges in the U.S.
