Taliban releases Herbert Fritz

The Taliban has released Herbert Fritz, an 84-year-old Austrian far-right nationalist, who was arrested in Afghanistan last May.

The Austrian government says that Fritz had arrived in Doha, Qatar earlier in the day after mediation by the Qatari government helped to secure his release.

Fritz was arrested last year after defying Austria’s long-standing warning against travel to Afghanistan, which in 2021 returned to the rule of the Taliban.

After his arrest, Austria’s Der Standard newspaper said Fritz had gone to Afghanistan and reported positively on life there. He published an article titled “Vacations with the Taliban”