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A former Taliban commander has been sentenced in New York to 42 years in prison for crimes including the 2008 kidnapping of a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Haji Najibullah’s sentencing Tuesday capped a daylong proceeding in Manhattan federal court. The reporter, David Rohde, described how Najibullah took part in the abduction of him, another reporter and their driver. Rohde, who is MSNOW’s national security reporter and previously worked for The New York Times and other publications, told Judge Katherine Polk Failla that he was “surprised and disappointed” that Najibullah was trying to blame others and circumstances for his role in the crime. The three escaped from a Taliban-controlled compound in Pakistan's tribal areas after seven months in captivity.

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Journalist David Rohde leaves a federal court in New York after speaking at the sentencing of a former Taliban commander who received a prison sentence on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, for kidnapping Rhode and two others for seven months in 2008 and for directing the killing of American soldiers at other times. (AP Photo/Larry Neumeister)

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Journalist David Rohde leaves a Manhattan federal courthouse on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, in New York, after the Taliban commander who kidnapped him in 2008 in Afghanistan was sentenced to 42 years in prison. (AP Photo/Larry Neumeister) CORRECTION: Corrects date to 'Tuesday, June 9, 2026' instead of 'Jan. 9, 2026.'

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The Nigerian army said Sunday it freed 360 people abducted by Boko Haram in southern Borno, in the northeastern part of the country. The operation, according to the army’s statement, was conducted in the Mandara mountains which form a part of the militant group’s stronghold. It resulted in the release of several people, including children, who had been abducted across different communities in Borno. Two infants died during their prolonged captivity, according to the statement.

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In this photo released by Nigerian Army, freed women and children that were abducted by Boko Haram in southern Borno, Nigeria. Saturday, June 6, 2026. (Nigerian Army via AP)

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In this photo released by Nigerian Army, freed women and children that were abducted by Boko Haram in southern Borno, Nigeria. Saturday, June 6, 2026. (Nigerian Army via AP)

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In this photo released by Nigerian Army, freed women and children that were abducted by Boko Haram in southern Borno, Nigeria. Saturday, June 6, 2026. (Nigerian Army via/AP)

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This May 2025 image provided by Betty O. Moore shows Pastor and truck driver Anthony J. Moore beside his rig in Denmark, S.C. Moore's dashboard camera captured a cuffed woman running away from her alleged kidnapper near Aiken, S.C., on Friday, May 29, 2026. (Betty O. Moore via AP)