Islamabad (AP) – The Taliban On Sunday, we released US citizens from An Afghanistan The prison, weeks after they said they had reached an agreement with the US envoy on prisoner exchange as part of their efforts to normalize relationships.
Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesman for the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has identified the man as Amir Amiri. He did not say when Amiri was detained, why, or where he was detained.
A source with knowledge of the release said Amiri had been detained in Afghanistan since December 2024 and on her way back to the US, she spoke officially on condition of anonymity as she had no authority to discuss details with the media.
Qatar This year, it promoted the release of Amiri with the latest diplomatic outcomes arising from a security partnership with the US that secured the freedom of four other Americans from Taliban detention. The Arabian Peninsula’s energy-rich countries Release British couple Someone who was imprisoned for months.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio He welcomed Amiri’s release and marked the administration’s decision strengthened by US President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, saying it would protect Americans from illegal detention overseas.
“This shows important progress, but additional Americans remain unfairly detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will not rest until all of our prisoners of war citizens return home.”
Mahmoud Habibi’s brother, Ahmad Habibi, is a US citizen who the Taliban held for over three years, and he and his family say they are grateful to hear the news about Amiri, and hopes Mahmoud will return home too.
Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan-American business owner, worked as a contractor for a Kabul-based telecommunications company and disappeared in 2022. The FBI and his family believe they were taken to the Taliban, who denied embracing him.
“We are grateful that senior officials from the State Department and the National Security Council have repeatedly assured us that their deal with the Taliban is “all or nothing.”
It remains unclear what the Taliban will receive in exchange for liberating the American people. However, there are many needs in Afghanistan.
International aid money poured into the country after the 2001 US-led invasion is dry, especially with the increasing economic and humanitarian crises. Magnitude 6 earthquake on August 31st.
But Afghanistan remains Trump’s focus. Requests rejected by a Taliban official.
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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to the report from Washington.
