Haji Najibullah
Coverage of Haji Najibullah in the Nexus archive.
- Kidnapped US journalist faces Taliban captor in court as 42-year sentence caps long saga
Haji Najibullah, a Taliban commander, faces sentencing for his role in the 2008 kidnapping of US journalist David Rohde. He appeared in Manhattan federal court, where he could receive a life sentence for the crime.
- US judge sentences ex-Taliban commander to 42 years in jail
A former Afghan Taliban commander was sentenced to 42 years in prison for abducting a journalist and supporting attacks that killed US soldiers in 2008. The individual, arrested in Ukraine and extradited to the US in 2020, pleaded guilty to hostage-taking and providing material support for terrorism.
- Ex-Taliban commander gets 42 years in prison in killings of US soldiers and journalists' kidnappings
A former Taliban commander was sentenced to 42 years in prison for providing support leading to the deaths of three U.S. soldiers and kidnapping a journalist. The defendant admitted to supplying weapons to the Taliban between 2007 and 2009 and apologized for his role in the 2008 abduction of David Rohde and others.
- US journalist rips ‘cowardly’ and ‘cruel’ Taliban commander — who’s sentenced to 42 years for kidnapping him
US journalist David Rohde criticized ex-Taliban commander Haji Najibullah in court, calling his kidnapping of him 'cowardly' and 'cruel.' Najibullah was sentenced to 42 years for the crime.
- Ex-Taliban commander gets 42 years in prison in killings of US soldiers and journalists’ kidnappings
A former Taliban commander was sentenced to 42 years in prison for kidnapping a journalist and providing material support to the Taliban that led to U.S. soldiers' deaths. The sentencing followed a guilty plea in 2025 for terrorism-related charges and hostage-taking.