Key Takeaways
- The Taliban announced the release of two US citizens in a prisoner swap deal with the United States, marking a significant development in US-Afghan relations.
- The deal involved the exchange of Khan Mohammad, an Afghan Mujahid, for two US nationals, facilitated by Qatar’s mediation.
- The prisoner swap deal paved the way for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, marking a new chapter in US-Afghan relations.
Kabul: The Taliban government in Afghanistan has announced the release of two detained Americans in a prisoner swap deal with the United States, media reports said.
The Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul announced the release of two detained Americans, without disclosing their names. They were exchanged for Khan Mohammad, an Afghan Mujahid, who had been serving a life sentence in a California prison since his arrest in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar two decades ago, as reported by Al Jazeera.
“Following extensive and productive negotiations between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the United States of America, an agreement was reached facilitating the release of an Afghan Mujahid, Khan Mohammad, from a US prison in exchange for the release of American nationals,” the Afghan Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday in a post on X.
According to media reports, the family of US citizen Ryan Corbett, who was detained by the Taliban in 2022, confirmed he was released and thanked both the Biden and Trump administrations, as well as Qatar.
“Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,” the family said on their website.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry said the prisoner exchange, brokered by Qatar, was the result of “long and fruitful negotiations” with the US.
Qatar’s lead negotiator, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, confirmed the Gulf state’s mediation in the exchange, with all the released people going through Doha, the report said.
The announcement comes the day after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who, during his first term in office, presided over a deal with the Taliban that paved the way for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
After Trump’s election win in November, the Taliban government had said it hoped for a “new chapter” in relations with the US.
