The Taliban has released US Navy veteran Mark Frerichs in exchange for an Afghan tribal leader.

Frerichs was abducted in February 2020 while Bashir Noorzai was serving a life sentence for smuggling heroin.

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US President Joe Biden says the decision was not taken lightly.

The Taliban says this is a new era of relations with Washington.

But will it change anything?

And are diplomatic ties between the Taliban and the US even possible?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Peter Zwack – Retired brigadier general in the US army

Graeme Smith – Senior consultant on Afghanistan for the International Crisis Group

Ahmad Shuja Jamal – Former director general of international relations and regional cooperation at the Afghan National Security Council