Saturday 11 June 2022 03:43 PM U.S. Navy reservist helps secure release of American woman held captive by the ... trends now
A US Navy reservist previously detained by the Taliban helped secure the release of an Afghan-American held by the Taliban without the help of the State Department.
The family of 33-year-old Mahnaz Safi, who was detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan last month, reached out to Safi Rauf, an Afghan-American Naval reservist who was taken prisoner in December with his brother as they worked to help people flee Afghanistan's hardline rulers, Axios reported.
Rauf was able to secure Safi's release and arrived with her at JFK Airport in New York on Thursday morning after arranging her safe passage to Dubai.
Safi, an Afghan-American born in New Jersey, decided to travel to a village in Jowzjan Province in May to distribute humanitarian aid after raising $18,000 on GoFundMe.
Safi Rauf (right) was able to secure Mahnaz Safi's (left) release. The pair are pictured in JFK Airport in New York City on Thursday
Rauf, a US Navy reservist previously detained by the Taliban, helped secure the release of a Safi, an American held by the Taliban without the help of the State Department
After securing Safi's release, Rauf arrived with her at JFK Airport on Thursday morning and arranged her safe passage to Dubai
Safi, an Afghan-American born in New Jersey, decided to travel to a village in Jowzjan Province in May to distribute humanitarian aid after raising $18,000
The self-described 'risk taker' said she ignored warnings of how dangerous the Taliban-run country was, attributing her friends and family's concerns as a result of 'media alarmism.'
But just three weeks into her stay local police brought her in for questioning and she was detained for several days after they found she had no visa or entry stamps in her passport, Axios reported.
In addition, a local imam accused Safi of attempting to convert villagers from Islam, something the 33-year-old Muslim denies.
Her family reached out to Rauf after reading about his months-long captivity by the Taliban and his work with the Human First Coalition, which worked to rescue those at risk of Taliban persecution.
After spending 105 days in Taliban captivity Rauf and his brother were released in April following months of negotiations by the Biden administration.
But when it came to the negotiations to free Safi, the State Department had no
