Afghanistan Peace CampaignWhile Najibullah had previously pleaded not guilty, a change of plea hearing was added to the court docket Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
According to the plea agreement signed by Najibullah, he acknowledged working as a Taliban commander in Afghanistan’s Wardak province. Najibullah also admitted to providing material support for acts of terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, support that led to American service members being killed, the agreement said.
Andrew Dalack, Najibullah’s attorney, said in a statement that his client had spent nearly five years “fighting a case that threatened a mandatory life sentence.
“We are relieved to have achieved a resolution that does not carry any mandatory term of imprisonment and look forward to continuing our zealous representation of Mr. Najibullah at his sentencing hearing.”
Rohde was kidnapped in November 2008 while in Afghanistan while conducting research for a book. He was held for seven months. Rohde later recounted his captivity and escape in vivid, harrowing detail, writing about how his “daily focus simply became survival” and his “memories of the world I had known began to fade.”
“I am pleased that he admitted his guilt today and grateful to all the U.S. officials who brought him to justice,” Rohde said in a statement afterward. “Most of all, my heart goes out to the families of the three U.S. soldiers and the Afghan translator who were killed.”
Court filings and federal officials described Najibullah as a Taliban leader who oversaw more than 1,000 fighters and reported to the group’s senior leadership.
His 2021 indictment in New York said Taliban fighters under his command attacked a convoy in June 2008, killing Sgts. 1st Class Matthew L. Hilton and Joseph A. McKay as well as Sgt. Mark Palmateer.
In October of the same year, the indictment continued, fighters overseen by Najibullah shot down an American helicopter. While the Taliban said everyone on board was killed, no troops died in that attack, the indictment said. The indictment said that only days later, Najibullah caused the capture of Rohde and two Afghan men working with him.
Najibullah was arrested in Ukraine in 2020 and extradited to New York to face charges related to Rohde’s kidnapping. He had been indicted in 2014, but it was unsealed after his arrest.
Shayna Jacobs in New York contributed to this report.