Biden Administration in Talks for American Prisoners in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON: The Biden administration is currently engaged in discussions with Afghan officials to negotiate the release of several Americans held in Afghanistan. In return, the U.S. is considering releasing a prominent prisoner from Guantanamo Bay with alleged links to Osama bin Laden, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
Neither the White House nor the State Department responded promptly to inquiries regarding this matter. Similarly, officials from the Taliban in Afghanistan have not yet offered any comments.
The administration is particularly focused on securing the release of three Americans who were taken captive in 2022: Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann, and Mahmood Habibi. The Wall Street Journal has reported that the U.S. is proposing to exchange them for Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani, who is viewed as a significant figure within al Qaeda. Al-Afghani has been in detention at Guantanamo since 2008.
Corbett and Habibi were captured during separate incidents in August 2022, a year after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul amid a tumultuous U.S. withdrawal. Meanwhile, Glezmann was taken into custody later that same year while visiting Afghanistan as a tourist.
Sources familiar with the situation revealed that negotiations have been underway since July. This information came to light during a classified briefing for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which included discussions led by national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
This report follows the Biden administration’s recent action of transferring 11 detainees from Guantanamo to Oman, significantly reducing the number of prisoners at the facility in Cuba. This move is part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to close the detention center before President Biden’s term ends on January 20.
