An Australian academic freed by the Taliban in a prisoner swap has spoken of his “long and tortuous ordeal” as a hostage in Afghanistan.
Timothy Weeks said he believed US special forces had tried six times to rescue him and an American captive, Kevin King, who was also released.
Mr Weeks said he did not hate the Taliban, saying some of his guards were “lovely people” he hugged as he left.
“I never, ever gave up hope… I knew I would leave eventually,” he said.
Mr Weeks and Mr King, also an academic, were freed this month in exchange for three senior militants held by the Afghan authorities, in a deal aimed at kick-starting peace talks.
The pair had been held for three years after being abducted outside the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, where they worked as professors.
Mr Weeks, a 50-year-old from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, was speaking at a press conference after returning to Australia on Thursday night.
He said he believed numerous attempts were made to rescue him and that he was held in several locations, often small windowless cells in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“I believe, and I hope this is correct, that they (special forces) came in six times to try to get us, and that a number of times they missed us only by hours,” Mr Weeks said.
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