A prisoner exchange between the United States and the Afghan Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure jailed for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges.
The Taliban hailed the exchange as a step toward “normalizing” relations between the United States and Afghanistan, but most countries around the world still do not recognize Taliban control, and two Americans are still in custody. Given the current situation, it is likely that it remains a difficult task.
The Taliban's foreign ministry in Kabul confirmed the exchange, announcing that Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two life terms in 2008, had been exchanged with two Americans.
The family of Ryan Corbett, an American held by the Taliban, confirmed in a statement that he had been released. Corbett, who was living in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the collapse of the US-backed government in 2021, was captured by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip.
“Our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise for the God who sustained Ryan and brought him home after the most difficult and uncertain 894 days of his life,” the family said in a statement. said. They thanked Donald Trump and Joe Biden, as well as many government officials, for their efforts to free them.
Corbett's family also praised the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar, which “played a key role in facilitating Ryan's release.”
Both CNN and the New York Times identified the second American released as William McEntee, but his identity and other details about what he was doing in Afghanistan have not been revealed.
Mohammed, 55, was a prisoner in California after his 2008 conviction. The Bureau of Prisons listed Mr. Muhammad as out of custody early Tuesday.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman for the Taliban's foreign ministry, said Mohammed had arrived in Afghanistan and was staying with his family. Photos released by the Taliban showed him being welcomed with colorful wreaths upon his return to his homeland in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
Muhammad said he spent time in prisons in Bagram and Washington, D.C.
“It's a great joy to see my family and come to my homeland. The greatest joy is to come and join my Muslim brethren,” he said.
He was captured on the Nangarhar battlefield and later taken to the United States. A federal jury convicted him of aiding and abetting terrorist activities by securing heroin and opium he knew was destined for the United States.
The Justice Department at the time called Mr. Muhammad a “violent jihadist and drug trafficker” who “tried to kill American soldiers with rockets in Afghanistan.” He became the first person to be convicted under US narcoterrorism laws.
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Ahmed Rashid, author of several books on Afghanistan and the Taliban, called Mohammed “the biggest drug smuggler the United States has ever had to deal with and the Taliban's main financier.” said.
Before leaving office, the Biden administration was trying to finalize a deal to release Corbett, George Glezman and Mahmoud Habibie in exchange for one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Muhammad Rahim.
Glezman, an aviation mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by Taliban intelligence agents while traveling in the country in December 2022. Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman who worked as a contract employee for a Kabul-based telecommunications company, also went missing in 2022. The Taliban deny Habibi's existence.
The Taliban said the exchange was the result of “long and fruitful negotiations” with the United States and was a good example of resolving issues through dialogue.
“The Islamic Emirate is positively considering U.S. actions that would help normalize and develop bilateral relations,” it said.
