Taliban invite freed Aussie Timothy Weeks to witness peace deal signing

An Australian held captive by the Taliban has accepted an invitation from his former captors.

Australian Timothy Weeks with Anas Haqqani in Doha.

An Australian academic held ­captive by the Taliban for more than three years has accepted an invit­ation from his former captors to attend the signing of a peace deal.

Sharing photos of himself with a member of a key Taliban ally on social media, Timothy Weeks has said he has arrived in Doha to ­attend the signing of a peace deal by US and Taliban representatives on the weekend.

Among the photos he has shared were two with Anas Haqqani, whose brother leads Taliban ally the Haqqani network and who was also released from custody­ as part of a prisoner swap that saw Mr Weeks freed in ­November. “I cannot believe that I am here in Qatar and have met and spoken with Anas,” Mr Weeks, 50, said on Twitter. “I am blessed to be an official guest at the signing­ ceremony. I pray that that day, the future of those who have suffered for so long will finally change for the better. May god bless Afghanistan.”

The significance of the trip wasn’t lost on his former captors.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid shared photos of the two former prisoners meeting at Doha international airport.

Mr Weeks and American Kevin King, both lecturers, were teaching at the American University in Kabul before their abduction on August 7, 2016.

They were released as part of a prisoner swap with the US, which saw Mr Haqqani and two other Taliban prisoners set free.