US welcomes release of American citizen from Afghanistan

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The US on Monday welcomed the release of Faye Hall, an American citizen who was freed from Afghanistan over the weekend.

"The United States is pleased to welcome home Faye Hall, an American who was released from Afghanistan just this weekend," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

Rubio expressed gratitude to international partners who assisted in securing Hall's release, particularly Qatar and the EU.

"We extend our sincere gratitude to the Government of Qatar for its support of American citizens in need and we thank the European Union delegation in Kabul for their assistance," he said.

Rubio commended US President Donald Trump's efforts in securing the return of Americans worldwide, saying: "President Trump’s strength, leadership, and commitment to the American people is clear — we will not rest until all Americans detained in Afghanistan, and held hostage around the world, are brought home."

Hall's release follows March talks between US envoy Adam Boehler and Afghanistan’s interim Foreign Minister Maulvi Amir Khan Muttaqi, and coincides with Washington lifting a $10 million bounty on interim Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and two others.

Other Americans recently freed since Trump's second term were Marc Fogel from Russia and an unnamed citizen from Belarus.