Former Taliban commander pleads guilty to kidnapping of journalist, killings of US soldiers

A erstwhile Taliban commandant has pleaded blameworthy to taking hostages, including an American journalist, and the deaths of U.S. soldiers, the Justice Department said Friday. 

Haji Najibullah, 49, pleaded blameworthy to hostage taking and providing worldly enactment for acts of coercion resulting successful decease successful transportation with his relation successful the hostage taking of an American writer and 2 Afghan citizens successful Afghanistan and Pakistan successful 2008 and 2009, arsenic good arsenic his enactment of Taliban fighters who carried retired attacks on U.S. soldiers successful Afghanistan, betwixt 2007 and 2009, resulting successful the deaths of American soldiers. 

TALIBAN FREES AMERICAN HOSTAGE GEORGE GLEZMANN FOLLOWING NEGOTIATIONS WITH US, QATAR

In this courtroom sketch, erstwhile Taliban commandant Haji Najibullah, antecedently accused of kidnapping an American journalist, appears connected charges related to murdering 3 U.S. troops successful Afghanistan successful 2008 during a tribunal proceeding successful New York. (Reuters)

"Najibullah committed his crimes successful Afghanistan implicit 15 years ago, and present faces justness successful an American courtroom," U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said successful a statement. "Today’s blameworthy plea serves arsenic an emphatic reminder that this Office, and our instrumentality enforcement partners, volition aggressively prosecute those who harm Americans done acts of terror, nary substance wherever successful the satellite they whitethorn be, and nary substance however agelong it whitethorn instrumentality to execute justness for their victims."

The charges against Najibullah stem from the kidnapping of the writer and attacks connected a U.S. subject convoy that resulted successful the deaths of 3 Army soldiers — Sgts. 1st Class Matthew L. Hilton and Joseph A. McKay, and Sgt. Mark Palmateer — and their Afghan interpreter successful June 2008.

Several different soldiers were injured successful the attack. 

FAYE HALL, AMERICAN DETAINED BY TALIBAN, HAS BEEN RELEASED

Taliban fighters patrol connected the roadworthy during a solemnisation marking the 2nd day of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan, successful Kandahar, southbound of Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Abdul Khaliq)

He was besides charged with an October onslaught that aforesaid twelvemonth successful which a U.S. subject chopper was changeable down. In November of that year, fighters nether Najibullah's bid took hostage an American writer and 2 Afghan nationals astatine gunpoint successful Afghanistan. 

They were forced to hike to neighboring Pakistan, wherever they were forced to marque videos demanding ransom payments and the merchandise of Taliban terrorists held by the U.S. government, national prosecutors said. 

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The Taliban commandant was liable for the Jaghato territory successful Afghanistan’s Wardak Province, tribunal documents state. He had implicit 1,000 troops nether his command, who helium had behaviour attacks connected American and NATO troops extracurricular of Kabul.

Najibullah was arrested and extradited from Ukraine successful October 2020, and is present successful national custody successful the U.S.

He faces a beingness condemnation successful prison.