On September 19 there was a prison swap between the U.S and the Taliban. This swap was approved by president Joe Biden. The prisoner was Mark Frerichs was held captive in Afghanistan for 2½ years. After many months negotiating this deal they finally accepted and the swap happened. A afghan drug lord Bashir Noorzai was set free after spending 17 years in U.S custody.

Noorzai who was convicted in 2008 of running a operation that smuggles heroin into New York. The Taliban announced the news overnight than Noorzai appeared at a news conference in Kabul, the Afghan capital. According to NBC news an administrator spoke out about the situation “This is a painful decision for any president to make,” the administration official said. “There is just no symmetry at all between Mark, who did absolutely nothing wrong and Noorzai, who had all the benefits of the U.S. legal system.”

Biden called Frerichs sister with the news of his release. He was handed to U.S authorities in Kabul national airport. The washington post said during the conference a man named Mr. Muttaqi said The Taliban “is ready to solve problems by negotiation with all including the United States,” said Mr. Muttaqi at the news conference, sitting alongside Mr. Noorzai, who returned to Afghanistan on Monday after his release by U.S. authorities. Biden administration officials said that Mr. Frerich was in good health. Government experts say that Mr. Noorzais return to afghanistan wont cause any harm to America or affects the afghan drug trade.The Taliban see this as a major victory of showing their loyally to their supporters.

Biden also released a statement, The wasignton post says Biden said in a statement released by the White House on Monday that “bringing the negotiations that led to Mark’s freedom to a successful resolution required difficult decisions, which I did not take lightly.” He did not provide details about the negotiations or the decisions, but said that his administration “continues to prioritize the safe return of all Americans who are held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.” Hopefully at the end of the day this was a good call by our President.