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AUAF Sends Message To American, Australian Hostages

The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) on Thursday called on the Taliban to release two AUAF professors, Kevin King and Tim Weeks, who are being held hostage by the insurgent group.

The statement came on the heels of the release of a video by the Taliban where the two men plead for help.

"All of us at the American University of Afghanistan --students, staff, trustees and fellow faculty -- are saddened and pained by what we have seen in the video the Taliban released using our colleagues, Tim and Kevin.  We call on the Taliban to release immediately and safely Kevin and Tim and all other hostages.”

“Kevin and Tim came to Afghanistan as teachers, to help Afghanistan.  These innocent people have done nothing to harm anyone and need to be reunited with their family, friends and colleagues,” the statement read.

The AUAF also sent out a message to the two men and said: “Kevin and Tim, when you hear these words, know that we are with you, we support you, we care about you, and we want you home now.  We hold you as part of our American University of Afghanistan family and as part of our family, we will work ceaselessly to do anything and everything in our power to help bring you home.  

“We will not give up; we will not stop pressing all involved to do all they can.   Our thoughts and prayers are with you constantly.  We will not rest until you are back safely with us."

King and Weeks were kidnapped early August in Kabul.

U.S. special operations forces reportedly raided a compound in September looking for the kidnapped professors, but after a gun battle that left a half-dozen militants dead they discovered the professors were not at the location in Jalalabad, a senior defense official told NBC News at the time.

In December, the Taliban released another video of an American woman and her Canadian husband and their two children. The couple was kidnapped in 2012 and both children were born in captivity.

AUAF Sends Message To American, Australian Hostages

The statement comes on the heels of the release of a video by the Taliban where the two men plead for help.

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The American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) on Thursday called on the Taliban to release two AUAF professors, Kevin King and Tim Weeks, who are being held hostage by the insurgent group.

The statement came on the heels of the release of a video by the Taliban where the two men plead for help.

"All of us at the American University of Afghanistan --students, staff, trustees and fellow faculty -- are saddened and pained by what we have seen in the video the Taliban released using our colleagues, Tim and Kevin.  We call on the Taliban to release immediately and safely Kevin and Tim and all other hostages.”

“Kevin and Tim came to Afghanistan as teachers, to help Afghanistan.  These innocent people have done nothing to harm anyone and need to be reunited with their family, friends and colleagues,” the statement read.

The AUAF also sent out a message to the two men and said: “Kevin and Tim, when you hear these words, know that we are with you, we support you, we care about you, and we want you home now.  We hold you as part of our American University of Afghanistan family and as part of our family, we will work ceaselessly to do anything and everything in our power to help bring you home.  

“We will not give up; we will not stop pressing all involved to do all they can.   Our thoughts and prayers are with you constantly.  We will not rest until you are back safely with us."

King and Weeks were kidnapped early August in Kabul.

U.S. special operations forces reportedly raided a compound in September looking for the kidnapped professors, but after a gun battle that left a half-dozen militants dead they discovered the professors were not at the location in Jalalabad, a senior defense official told NBC News at the time.

In December, the Taliban released another video of an American woman and her Canadian husband and their two children. The couple was kidnapped in 2012 and both children were born in captivity.

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