ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban confirmed on Wednesday evening that Pakistan had released its senior leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who was captured in a joint operation conducted by American and Pakistani intelligence officials in Karachi in 2010.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Arab News that Baradar, the group’s former deputy chief, “has rejoined his family after he was released on Wednesday afternoon”.
Abdul Samad, another Taliban leader, was also released along with Baradar, the group said.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal did not respond to a query seeking details about the Taliban leader’s release.
However, representatives from the group, while speaking to Arab News, said that Baradar’s release was one among several topics discussed during the meetings between American and Taliban officials in Doha, Qatar earlier this month.
“The Islamic Emirate has always called for the release of prisoners, removal of the names of our leaders from the UN Security Council’s sanctions list and the opening of the office in Qatar before the beginning of the official negotiations with the United States,” another Taliban official told Arab News.
Taliban officials who have worked with Baradar say Mullah Omar had once told the group’s leaders that Baradar would replace him after his death. Baradar had been appointed as the deputy chief by Omar.
Pakistan freed nearly 40 Afghan Taliban leaders in 2013 and early 2014 on the request of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai to encourage them to join the peace process. However, none of the freed Taliban representatives had joined the reconciliation process or ensuing talks with the Afghan government.
Earlier on Monday, Mujahid had told Arab News that media reports citing Baradar’s release were untrue.
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Senior leader Mullah Baradar is free, Afghan Taliban say
Senior leader Mullah Baradar is free, Afghan Taliban say
- Representatives say former deputy chief has “rejoined his family”
- Pakistan releases key official following talks between militant group and the US
Trump’s new envoy arrives in South Africa with relations frayed
JOHANNESBURG: A conservative media critic picked by President Donald Trump to be US ambassador to South Africa has arrived to take up his post, the US embassy said Tuesday, as relations between the countries remain fraught.
Brent Bozell’s arrival has been keenly awaited with ties between South Africa and the United States becoming increasingly strained after Trump returned to office in January 2025.
“I’m confirming that he’s in country,” a US embassy official told AFP. Trump’s new envoy arrives in South Africa to frayed relations
Trump announced that he had chosen Bozell for the job in March, soon after expelling South Africa’s ambassador on accusations that he was critical of Washington. Pretoria has yet to announce a successor.
Trump said at the time that Bozell “brings fearless tenacity, extraordinary experience, and vast knowledge to a nation that desperately needs it.”
The ambassador-designate still needs to present his credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa before officially taking up his post.
The embassy and South Africa’s foreign ministry could not say when this would happen.
Bozell, 70, is founder of the Media Research Center, a non-profit that says it works to “expose and counter the leftist bias of the national news media.”
One of the several sticking points between Washington and Pretoria is South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Bozell is reported to be a strong defender of Israel. Pretoria expelled Israel’s top diplomat last month, citing a “series of violations.”
The Trump administration boycotted South Africa’s G20 in Johannesburg last year and has not invited the nation to its own hosting of the group of leading economies this year.
The United States is South Africa’s second-biggest trading partner by country after China.
The previous ambassador, Reuben Brigety, resigned in November 2024, just before Trump took office.
Brent Bozell’s arrival has been keenly awaited with ties between South Africa and the United States becoming increasingly strained after Trump returned to office in January 2025.
“I’m confirming that he’s in country,” a US embassy official told AFP. Trump’s new envoy arrives in South Africa to frayed relations
Trump announced that he had chosen Bozell for the job in March, soon after expelling South Africa’s ambassador on accusations that he was critical of Washington. Pretoria has yet to announce a successor.
Trump said at the time that Bozell “brings fearless tenacity, extraordinary experience, and vast knowledge to a nation that desperately needs it.”
The ambassador-designate still needs to present his credentials to President Cyril Ramaphosa before officially taking up his post.
The embassy and South Africa’s foreign ministry could not say when this would happen.
Bozell, 70, is founder of the Media Research Center, a non-profit that says it works to “expose and counter the leftist bias of the national news media.”
One of the several sticking points between Washington and Pretoria is South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Bozell is reported to be a strong defender of Israel. Pretoria expelled Israel’s top diplomat last month, citing a “series of violations.”
The Trump administration boycotted South Africa’s G20 in Johannesburg last year and has not invited the nation to its own hosting of the group of leading economies this year.
The United States is South Africa’s second-biggest trading partner by country after China.
The previous ambassador, Reuben Brigety, resigned in November 2024, just before Trump took office.
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