Reporting from WWM Watch World Media
New York, NY – June 10, 2026 — Former Taliban commander Haji Najibullah has been sentenced to 42 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to hostage-taking and providing material support for terrorism connected to attacks that killed three U.S. service members.
Najibullah, 50, was convicted for his role in the 2008 kidnapping of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Rohde, then a reporter for The New York Times, along with Rohde’s Afghan interpreter Tahir Ludin and their driver Asadullah Mangal. The three were held captive for more than seven months across Afghanistan and Pakistan while their captors demanded ransom and the release of Taliban prisoners.
During sentencing in Manhattan federal court, Rohde addressed Najibullah directly, recounting the trauma of the ordeal and criticizing what he described as the defendant’s continued failure to fully accept responsibility.
Federal prosecutors also detailed Najibullah’s alleged support for Taliban operations between 2007 and 2009, including providing weapons and assistance to fighters in Afghanistan’s Wardak Province. Authorities linked forces under his command to attacks that killed three U.S. soldiers and an Afghan interpreter in 2008.
U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla imposed the 42-year sentence, below the maximum possible penalty, citing factors including Najibullah’s guilty plea and time already served.
The 2008 Kidnapping
Rohde was investigating Afghanistan when he traveled to Logar Province near Kabul on November 10, 2008, after arranging an interview with a Taliban figure. Instead, he and his companions were ambushed, restrained, and taken hostage.
The group was moved between safe locations for months before Rohde escaped in June 2009, ending a seven-month captivity.
The case underscores the dangers faced by journalists reporting from conflict zones and highlights U.S. efforts to prosecute individuals accused of attacks against Americans overseas.
WWM will continue monitoring further developments and any appeals connected to this case.
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