Mr Weeks has returned to the country where he was held captive by Taliban forces for three years before being released and returned home in 2019.

Video released on Saturday morning, by Afghan news channel TOLOnews, showed Mr Weeks addressing media on the tarmac at Kabul Airport.

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Mr Weeks, also known as Jibrael Umar, said he was in the country to celebrate the one year anniversary of the Taliban's return to power.

It's understood that authorities were not aware Mr Weeks was making his way to the country.

Member for Riverina Michael McCormack - who was deputy prime minister at the time of Mr Weeks' release and has kept in touch with him since - said he was not surprised by his return.

Mr McCormack said Mr Weeks had made comments laying out his sympathies for his former captives to him on a number of occasions, including at his civic homecoming in Wagga.

"I'm concerned, I'm not surprised," he said. "Tim told me then that he felt as though he'd been open to seeing that the Taliban weren't as bad as some people thought.

"There will be some who'll probably say 'well that's a silly thing to do' ... but Tim's his own person, he feels deeply about the Taliban and moreover the Afghani people."

Mr McCormack stopped short of suggesting Mr Weeks is suffering Stockholm syndrome, but said he is concerned that the academic may be used by the Taliban as a propaganda tool.

"What I worry is that he'll be used as a poster boy for the Taliban who'll try to make out to the western world ... that the Taliban is not as bad as we all know they are," he said. "I hope that's not the case and I hope Tim isn't used as a pawn in the Taliban's evil, evil game."

Mr McCormack hopes Mr Weeks remembers the efforts made to secure his release.

"I hope he doesn't fall in harm's way," he said.

The Taliban released Mr Weeks and American colleague Kevin King as part of a hostage swap deal in 2019 and since his return he has appeared in pictures alongside Anas Haqqani, who was swapped for Mr Weeks in prisoner exchange and is now a high ranking member of the Taliban, and acting Minister of the Ministry of Interior, Alhaj Khalifa Sirajuddin Haqqani.

A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said it was aware of reports Mr Weeks had returned to Afghanistan.

"Australia's travel advice for Afghanistan is 'do not travel' due to the extremely dangerous security situation and the very high threat of terrorist attack," they said.

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