Mark Randall Frerichs (born July 13, 1962)[1] is an American civil engineer and former US Navy diver[2][3] who disappeared in Afghanistan in January 2020 and was later confirmed to be captured by the Haqqani network, a group closely aligned with the Taliban.
[7] The next month, Newsweek magazine reported that officials had confirmed that Frerichs had been taken captive by the Haqqani network, a group closely aligned with the Taliban.
[5] Frerichs's sister, Charlene Cakora, questioned why the US government "signed a peace deal" with the Taliban in early February 2020 that did not include a provision for releasing her brother.
[9] The New York Times reported Frerichs was still a captive on November 21, 2020, when Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to Afghanistan to personally participate in peace negotiations with the Taliban.
[13] On September 19, 2022, Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi told reporters in Kabul that his government and a US delegation swapped prisoners at the Afghan capital's airport.