Taliban say 2 Americans held in Afghanistan were freed in a prisoner exchange
A prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges, officials said Tuesday.
The deal came as Joe Biden, who oversaw the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, handed power over to returning President Donald Trump. The Taliban praised the swap as a step toward the 바카라 게임 웹사이트normalization바카라 게임 웹사이트 of ties between the U.S. and Afghanistan, but that likely remains a tall order as most countries in the world still don't recognize their rule.
The Taliban바카라 게임 웹사이트s Foreign Ministry in Kabul confirmed the swap, saying two unidentified U.S. citizens had been exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment in 2008.
The family of Ryan Corbett, one American held by the Taliban, confirmed he had been released in a statement. Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the 2021 collapse of the U.S.-backed government, was detained by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip.
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바카라 게임 웹사이트Our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan바카라 게임 웹사이트s life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,바카라 게임 웹사이트 the family's statement said. They thanked both Trump and Biden, as well as many government officials, for their efforts in freeing him.
Corbett's family also praised the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar 바카라 게임 웹사이트for their vital role in facilitating Ryan바카라 게임 웹사이트s release, and for their visits to Ryan as the United States바카라 게임 웹사이트 Protecting Power in Afghanistan.바카라 게임 웹사이트 Energy-rich Qatar, which hosted negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban over the years, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Both CNN and The New York Times, relying on anonymous U.S. officials, identified the second American released as William McKenty, though no other details have emerged about his identity or what he was doing in Afghanistan.
Mohammed, 55, was a prisoner in California after his 2008 conviction. The Bureau of Prisons early Tuesday listed Mohammed as not being in their custody.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said Mohammed had arrived in Afghanistan and was with his family. There were no immediate plans to celebrate or mark his freedom, Takal added.
Mohammed was detained on the battlefield in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province and later taken to the U.S. A federal jury convicted him on charges of securing heroin and opium that he knew were bound for the United States and, in doing so, assisting terrorism activity.
The Justice Department at the time referred to Mohammed as 바카라 게임 웹사이트a violent jihadist and narcotics trafficker바카라 게임 웹사이트 who 바카라 게임 웹사이트sought to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets.바카라 게임 웹사이트 He was the first person to be convicted on U.S. narco-terrorism laws.
Before Biden left office, his administration had been trying to work out a deal to free Corbett as well as George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban바카라 게임 웹사이트s intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling through the country. Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman who worked as a contractor for a Kabul-based telecommunications company, also went missing in 2022. The Taliban have denied they have Habibi.
Habibi's family welcomed the exchange and said they were confident the Trump administration would make a 바카라 게임 웹사이트greater effort바카라 게임 웹사이트 to free him, expressing their frustration with the Biden team.
바카라 게임 웹사이트We know they have evidence my brother is alive and in Taliban hands and it could have been influential in encouraging the Taliban to admit they have him,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Habibi's brother Ahmed said in a statement shared by the nonprofit Global Reach. "The Biden NSC (National Security Council) refused to use it. We know Trump is about results and we have faith he will use every tool available to get Mahmood home.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Officials in Washington did not respond to requests for comment early Tuesday after Trump's inauguration the day before.
The Taliban called the exchange the result of 바카라 게임 웹사이트long and fruitful negotiations바카라 게임 웹사이트 with the U.S. and said it was a good example of solving problems through dialogue.
바카라 게임 웹사이트The 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,바카라 게임 웹사이트 it said.
The Taliban have been trying to make inroads in being recognized, in part to escape the economic tailspin caused by their takeover. Billions in international funds were frozen, and tens of thousands of highly skilled Afghans fled the country and took their money with them.
