US citizen Kevin King and Australian citizen Timothy Weeks were forcibly removed from a vehicle while traveling in Kabul in August 2016, according to the FBI. Their release was announced Tuesday by the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), where both men taught. The Taliban called the swap a "positive step" towards "good-will and confidence building measures that can aid the peace process." In 2017, the Taliban released a video purportedly showing Timothy Weeks (left) and Kevin King (right) asking then President-elect Donald Trump to make a deal for their release. The three Taliban figures have since left Afghanistan and have arrived in Qatar, according to Suhail Shaheen, Taliban spokesman for their political office in Doha.

Source: CNN November 19, 2019 15:56 UTC