War over in Afghanistan, but contractor from Lombard is still held captive. His anguished family asks: ‘When does it get to be Mark’s turn?’

In the family’s view, the U.S. had the greatest leverage to make a deal to return Frerichs home during peace talks with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, that concluded in February 2020, about a month after the kidnapping. But the agreement, which stipulated a timetable for the U.S. pulling out of Afghanistan, was signed on Feb. 29, 2020, by then-President Donald Trump with no mention of Frerichs.