Afghanistan's de facto rulers, the Taliban militant group, has released an 84-year-old Austrian far-right activist who was arrested after traveling to the region last year.
In a statement, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer expressed his gratitude towards the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. This was because of the latter's "strong support" in working to have the elderly Austrian, identified as Herbert Fitz, released from detention.
Taliban Releases Austrian Citizen
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Nehammer said that it was only due to the trusted collaboration of international partners that the man would be able to go back home to his daughter and grandchildren.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry said that the far-right activist arrived in the capital Doha from Afghanistan on Sunday afternoon. Officials also noted that if needed, the man would be given medical treatment before traveling back to Austria.
Reports last year noted that the individual was arrested in Afghanistan after his travel to the region in May. On top of being a far-right activist, Fitz was also said to be a co-founder of a far-right party, the National Democratic Party, that was banned in 1988, as per DW News.
The first reports of the Austrian citizen's detention in Afghanistan came as he was already in custody for a few weeks. Fitz was said to have been arrested shortly after a far-right magazine published an article that he wrote that was titled "Vacation with the Taliban." In it, he gave a positive view of life in Afghanistan under the group's rule.
In a social media post, Qatar's Foreign Affairs Ministry said that it was "pleased by the decision of the caretaker government" in Afghanistan to release Fitz. It added that the State of Qatar was able to prove that it is a trusted international partner, both regionally and globally, in various important issues.
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Traveling to Dangerous Locations
The statement also encouraged Afghanistan to pursue what officials called a "constructive dialogue approach to achieve the aspirations of the region's people. The country has allowed the Taliban group to open an office in Doha in 2013, but the fall of Kabul has put the capital in a unique position.
The situation comes as the Taliban is under fire for barring women from most areas of public life in Afghanistan. The group also stopped girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade as part of strict measures that they imposed after taking control of the country's government, according to ABC News.
The group seized Afghanistan as the United States and NATO were in the final weeks of withdrawing troops from the country following 20 years of war. Reports noted that Fitz has been a keen traveler to dangerous locations. He allegedly visited Afghanistan in the 1980s and visited Kurds fighting against the Islamic State group in northern Syria a few years ago.
When Fitz was asked about his ordeal in Afghanistan, he said that he believed it was bad luck but argued he wanted to visit the region again in the future. He noted that there were some nice people but said that there were also some foolish people, said Aljazeera.
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