A former Taliban commander, Haji Najibullah, has been sentenced to 42 years in prison in the United States for his role in the kidnapping of an American journalist and for supporting attacks that killed US servicemembers in Afghanistan, the US Department of Justice said.
Najibullah, 50, who also used several aliases, including Najibullah Naim and Abu Tayeb, was sentenced Tuesday by US District Judge Katherine Polk Failla after pleading guilty in April to hostage-taking and providing material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death.
According to US prosecutors, Najibullah served as a Taliban commander in Wardak province between 2007 and 2009, overseeing fighters who carried out attacks against American, NATO and Afghan government forces.
“Those who harm Americans and engage in acts of terrorism will be hunted down and brought to justice, no matter how long it takes,” Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
Federal authorities said fighters under Najibullah’s command used suicide bombers, improvised explosive devices, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons in attacks across Afghanistan.
Among the incidents cited by prosecutors was a June 2008 ambush on a US military convoy in Maidan Wardak. According to court documents, Taliban fighters under Najibullah’s command attacked the convoy with roadside bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, killing three US Army soldiers — Sergeants First Class Matthew L. Hilton and Joseph A. McKay, and Sergeant Mark Palmateer — as well as their Afghan interpreter.
Several other servicemembers were wounded.
Prosecutors said Najibullah later claimed responsibility for the attack and boasted about the role of his fighters.
The Justice Department also linked Najibullah to attacks on Afghan security forces, including an assault on an Afghan National Police outpost that reportedly killed three police officers.
Hostage-taking case
The case also centered on the 2008 kidnapping of an American journalist working for The New York Times and two Afghan nationals.
According to prosecutors, Najibullah and other Taliban fighters abducted the three men at gunpoint in Afghanistan in November 2008 and held them captive for approximately seven months in Taliban-controlled areas of Pakistan.
According to the department, the hostages were guarded by armed Taliban fighters and forced to record proof-of-life videos and ransom messages demanding the release of Taliban prisoners and other concessions.
In one of the videos cited by prosecutors, the American journalist pleaded for his life while a gun was pointed at his head, the department said.
The hostages ultimately escaped and returned to their families.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the sentence delivered accountability for attacks that killed Americans and for the hostage-taking of civilians.
“The men and women of the FBI will not forget when Americans are killed or taken hostage by terrorists,” Patel said. “We will find you no matter where you are and work with our partners to bring you to justice.”
Arrest and prosecution
Najibullah was arrested abroad and transferred to the United States with assistance from Ukrainian authorities and US law-enforcement agencies, according to the Justice Department.
In addition to the 42-year prison sentence, he was ordered to serve five years of supervised release after completing his term.
The sentence comes as US authorities continue to pursue accountability for attacks carried out during the two-decade war in Afghanistan, including those targeting American troops, civilians and journalists.
Taliban so far have not commented on the sentencing.
US officials described the case as one of the most significant terrorism prosecutions related to Taliban attacks during the insurgency that followed the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
