Afghan soldier seeking US asylum freed from federal custody

By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — An attorney says an Afghan soldier seeking U.S. asylum who was detained for months after being arrested while trying to cross the Mexico border has been freed from immigration detention and reunited with his brother. Abdul Wasi Safi’s release from custody in Eden, Texas, came after a judge dropped an immigration charge against him at the request of federal prosecutors. Wasi Safi fled Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. forces in August 2021, fearing reprisals from the Taliban. He was arrested in September last year near Eagle Pass, Texas, after crossing the Mexico border. He had hoped to eventually be reunited with his brother, Sami-ullah Safi, who lives in Houston.