The Taliban government announced the death of Australian Timothy Weeks, who was held hostage for three years before releasing him in 2019. Weeks subsequently converted to Islam and returned to Afghanistan, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
In 2016, Timothy Weeks was taken hostage along with another American teacher by armed men in police uniforms. The two were held by the Taliban for three years and were released in 2019 in exchange for the release of three senior Taliban leaders from the jihadist Haqqani network.
"Unfortunately, Professor Timothy Weeks, now known as Gabriel Omar, passed away today from cancer, from which he had been suffering for a long time", the Afghan Interior Ministry said on the social network "X".
According to the Australian television channel ABC, Timothy Weeks converted to Islam after his release, changed his name and went back to Kabul in the summer of 2022 to mark the first anniversary of the Taliban's return to power.
In the Afghan capital, he said he supported the Taliban, whom he described as brothers, according to Australian media, which circulated a photo of him smiling and surrounded by by the Taliban.
"He liked Afghanistan very much and based on that he thought he could live in Kabul. He had traveled to different provinces in Afghanistan and deepened his knowledge of Islam“, the Afghan Interior Ministry said, offering condolences to the Australian's family.