Former Taliban hostage Timothy Weeks dies in Kabul

Timothy Weeks, an Australian citizen and former Taliban hostage, passed away in Kabul. After being freed in a prisoner exchange between the former government and the Taliban, Weeks returned to Kabul and lobbied for the group. He had converted to Islam, changing his name to Jibril Omar, and was battling cancer.

Weeks and American citizen Kevin King, both professors at the American University of Afghanistan, were kidnapped by the Taliban in Kabul in 2016. They were released in November 2019 by the former Afghan government in exchange for three senior members of the Haqqani network.

The Taliban’s Interior Ministry spokesperson stated that Weeks worked as an English language teacher in Kabul and loved Afghanistan and the Taliban. After returning to Afghanistan, he met with senior Haqqani network officials and repeatedly praised the Taliban.

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