- Afghan fighter Khan Mohammad returns to Afghanistan.
- He was serving a life sentence in the state of California.
- Dozens of foreigners are detained by Taliban authorities.
The Taliban government announced Tuesday that it had released American citizens from prison in exchange for an Afghan fighter detained in the United States, as part of a deal brokered by Qatar.
Talks of the prisoner swap were confirmed last year, but the swap was announced after the handover of power from outgoing US President Joe Biden to Donald Trump, who was inaugurated on Monday.
“An Afghan fighter, Khan Mohammad, imprisoned in the United States, was released in exchange for American citizens and returned to the country,” the Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Mohammad was serving a life sentence in the state of California after being arrested “nearly two decades ago” in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
Asked by AFPThe Foreign Office declined to provide further details or the number of American prisoners.
However, Ryan Corbett’s family expressed “tremendous gratitude” for his return home.
“Today our hearts are filled with immense gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life and bringing him home after what has been the most difficult and uncertain 894 days of our life,” the family said on its website.
In July last year, Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said two American prisoners were being held in Afghanistan and that an exchange had been discussed with the United States.
US media have named the Americans as William McKenty and Corbett, the latter of whom has been detained by the Taliban since 2022.
Biden has faced sharp criticism for the chaotic withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in 2021, more than a year after Trump reached a deal with Taliban insurgents to end US involvement and of NATO in the two-decade war.
“New chapter”
After Trump’s victory in the November elections, the Taliban government said it hoped for a “new chapter” in its relations with the United States.
Taliban authorities have repeatedly stated that they want positive relations with all countries since returning to power in 2021.
No state has officially recognized its government, with restrictions on women’s rights a major sticking point for many countries, including the United States.
The Taliban government on Tuesday called the exchange “a good example of resolving problems through dialogue, expressing special gratitude for the effective role of the brotherly country of Qatar in this regard.”
“The Islamic Emirate views positively the actions of the United States which contribute to the normalization and expansion of relations between the two countries,” he adds, using the name of the Taliban authorities to designate their government.
Dozens of foreigners have been arrested by Taliban authorities since the group’s return to power.
It is unclear how many Afghan citizens are in U.S. custody.
At least one Afghan prisoner remains held in the secret US prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, Muhammad Rahim, whose family has requested his release in November 2023.
In February last year, two former prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay until 2017 were welcomed home to Afghanistan, more than 20 years after their arrest.
