Former Taliban Commander Gets 42 Years for Kidnapping New York Times Reporter

Nearly 18 years after one of the most notorious and harrowing kidnappings of the Afghanistan war, a federal court in New York sentenced Haji Najibullah, a former Taliban commander convicted of abducting American journalist David Rohde and directing deadly terror attacks against U.S. Army soldiers, to 42 years in prison. Najibullah, 50, pleaded guilty in April to kidnapping and providing material support for terrorism resulting in death. In addition to the prison term, he was sentenced to five years of supervised release. The sentence was handed down by federal Judge Katherine Polk Failla in Manhattan federal court.

At the center of the case is David Rohde, then a New York Times reporter and now a senior national security journalist. Rohde, a two time Pulitzer Prize winner, was kidnapped in November 2008 along with two Afghan companions while on his way to what was supposedly a meeting for an interview with Taliban members. The three were taken to Pakistan's tribal areas and held for more than seven months under heavy guard by armed men. After escaping captivity, Rohde and his wife, Kristen Mulvihill, published the book "A Rope and a Prayer: A Kidnapping from Two Sides," which described the captivity, the hostages' efforts to survive, and the behind the scenes efforts by his family and New York Times editors to secure his release. The book is still considered one of the most detailed and best known accounts of an সাংবাদিক kidnapped by a terrorist organization.

During the captivity, the kidnappers forced the hostages to film proof of life videos and make ransom calls meant to pressure the U.S. government to free Taliban prisoners and pay a ransom. In one video, with a machine gun pointed at his head, Rohde was forced to plead for his life. "If you do not help me, I will die. The key is in your hands. If you do not meet their demands, you will be responsible for my death," he said to the camera. Rohde eventually managed to escape with one of the other hostages and return to his family.

This week, nearly 18 years after the kidnapping, he appeared in a Manhattan courtroom to watch his kidnapper be sentenced. According to reports from the United States, he looked Najibullah in the eye and called him "cowardly and cruel," criticizing him for still not fully taking responsibility for his actions. But the kidnapping was only part of Najibullah's activity. According to U.S. prosecutors, between 2007 and 2009 he served as a Taliban commander in Wardak province near Kabul and led terror cells that carried out ambushes, roadside bombings, rocket fire, and suicide attacks against American and NATO forces. He boasted to others that his men were "ready to die" and that they would wear suicide belts and blow themselves up if ordered to do so.

On June 26, 2008, he led a deadly ambush against an American convoy in Wardak province. Three U.S. Army soldiers, Sergeant First Class Matthew Hilton, Joseph McKay, and Mark Palmetier, as well as the Afghan interpreter traveling with them, were killed in the attack. Several other soldiers were wounded. Najibullah later claimed responsibility for the attack and said his men carried it out. A few months later, his men also attacked an Afghan National Police outpost with automatic weapons and rockets, killing three police officers, according to the authorities.

Acting U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche said after sentencing, "Those who harm Americans and commit acts of terrorism will be hunted down and brought to justice, no matter how much time passes." FBI Director Kash Patel added, "We do not forget Americans murdered or kidnapped by terrorists. We will find you anywhere in the world and bring you to justice."

Najibullah was arrested in Ukraine in 2020 and extradited to the United States. Now, after nearly two decades of investigation, an international manhunt, and legal proceedings, prosecutors say at least some measure of justice has been achieved for the victims, their families, and the journalist who became a symbol of survival in the face of terrorism.