Noorzai was detained by the United States on suspicion of smuggling more than $50 million worth of heroin into the United States and Europe. Frerichs is an engineer and U.S. Navy veteran from Lombard, Illinois, who worked in Afghanistan for a decade on development projects. The United States has no official representation in Afghanistan and U.S. government officials elsewhere were not immediately available for comment. The United States has been pushing for the release of Frerichs, including after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021, as U.S.-led foreign forces were withdrawing. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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