Taliban release 2 Americans in Biden presidency’s last hours

Two Americans held in Afghanistan were freed in return for a Taliban fighter serving a life sentence in the US, authorities in Kabul said on Tuesday.

“An Afghan fighter Khan Mohammad imprisoned in America has been released in exchange for American citizens and returned to the country,” the Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement

Mohammad was extradited to the US nearly two decades ago and imprisoned in California on drug trafficking charges.

The US Justice Department at the time called Mohammed “a violent jihadist and narcotics trafficker” who “sought to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets.”

He was released in exchange for US citizens Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, US media reports said.

Family expresses gratitude for release

Corbett had been held by the Taliban since 2022 after being abducted during a business trip.

“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,” Corbett’s family said in a statement.

The family thanked the administrations of both former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump for their efforts as well as Qatar for its pivotal role in the negotiations.

What about the US citizens still held by the Taliban?

The release of Corbett and McKenty means there are now two Americans — George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi — still in Taliban custody. 

The Biden administration had been trying to work out a deal to free them in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

The prisoner swap, finalized during the final hours of the Biden administration, comes at a time of ongoing tensions in US-Taliban relations.

The Qatar-brokered deal marks a rare instance of cooperation between the two countries. 

The Taliban praised the “long and fruitful negotiations” with the US.

“The Islamic Emirate looks positively at the actions of the United States of America that help the normalization and development of relations between the two countries,” it said.

International recognition of Afghanistan’s Taliban government remains elusive due to human rights concerns, particularly restrictions on women. 

ss/nm (AP, AFP, Reuters)