OAN Staff James Meyers
10:17am – Thursday, March 20, 2025
According to multiple reports, the Georgian man who was taken prisoner by the Taliban, an Afghanistan-based Islamic terrorist group, was released after negotiations between the Trump administration and Katari authorities.
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The Taliban previously accused 65-year-old George Grezman while visiting Afghanistan on December 5th.th2022.
However, he was released with Taliban and Qatari officials after negotiations that include Adam Bohler, a special hostage envoy for Trump.
Grezman left Kabul Airport on his way to Doha on Wednesday evening. He met with a team from Qatar's Foreign Ministry and hostage envoy, Adam Berer.
The former US envoy to Bora and Afghanistan Zarmey Khalilzad met with Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman and senior adviser to Prime Minister Al Ansari and Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki.
Qatar has maintained diplomatic ties with Afghanistan following its 2021 acquisition of the Taliban, but the US is not.
Diplomatic sources confirmed that Grezman's release was agreed by the Taliban as a “goodwill gesture” as a sign of “trust” in Qatar's continued role as an intermediary between Washington, DC and Kabul.
“George Grezman is free. George was mistakenly detained in Afghanistan for two and a half years, and now he is on his way back with his wife, Alexandra,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X.
President Trump “has made freedom and return to America overseas a priority,” adds Khalilzad to X. “It's an honor to support this important effort.”
Qatar's Foreign Ministry has been responsible for debate between the Taliban and the United States since former President Joe Biden's tragic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Sources also pointed out that Qatar's main role is to ensure that “humanitarian corridors remain open” between Afghanistan.
Former Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that more than 175 Americans remained abandoned in Afghanistan before the 2023 Congress, but he did not elaborate on anyone unfairly taken to the Taliban.
Qatar is also taking the lead by providing Grezmann's immediate return support, including necessary medical assistance as he reunited with his family.
President Trump “has made freedom and homecoming for Americans detained abroad a priority,” Khalilzad said in X. “It is an honor to support this important effort.”
“We are spreading a deep appreciation for Qatar's condition. Qatar was a state of Qatar that helped to secure George's release,” the State Department added in a statement.
“Qatar has consistently proven to be a trusted partner and a trustworthy mediator, encouraging complex negotiations,” the department added.
“George's release is a positive and constructive step. It also reminds us that other Americans are still in detention in Afghanistan. President Trump will continue his tireless work to free all Americans who have been unfairly detained around the world.”
In 2023, the State Department officially declared that the 65-year-old man was “illegally detained.” This directed more federal resources to be used towards his lawsuit, but continued to struggle with Taliban prisoners.
Two other American citizens, Ryan Corbett and William McEnti, were also released by the Taliban in January following a last-minute contract mediated by the Biden administration before resigning.
The White House recently retracted the nomination of Borer as a hostage issue after portraying criticism of openly speaking about negotiations with Hamas amid the ongoing war with Israel.
“I think there's hope in terms of the Hamas situation. I think Israel has done a great and stunning job of eliminating Hamas, Hezbollah, many other enemies that make things that were previously impossible,” Bohler said. CNNSunday's public relations Jake Tupper showed the “confederation” earlier this month.
“And I think we can see something like a long-term ceasefire where we are allowing prisoners.
For now, it remains unclear whether the talks between Bohler and Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry meant that the US would establish official “diplomatic relations” with the Taliban, particularly as DC seeks to secure the release of another American who is currently being taken prisoner under the Taliban.
Although Afghan Muslim groups have denied their embrace of him, US citizen Mahmoud Habibi has been detained by the Taliban for more than two years.
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