Taliban Frees 2 American Hostages      01/21 06:11

   

   ISLAMABAD (AP) -- A prisoner swap between the United States and 
Afghanistan's Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure 
imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges, 
officials said Tuesday.

   The deal came as Joe Biden, who oversaw the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from 
Afghanistan in 2021, handed power over to returning President Donald Trump. The 
Taliban praised the swap as a step toward the "normalization" of ties between 
the U.S. and Afghanistan, but that likely remains a tall order as most 
countries in the world still don't recognize their rule.

   The Taliban's Foreign Ministry in Kabul confirmed the swap, saying two 
unidentified U.S. citizens had been exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was 
sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment in 2008.

   The family of Ryan Corbett, one American held by the Taliban, confirmed he 
had been released in a statement. Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with 
his family at the time of the 2021 collapse of the U.S.-backed government, was 
detained by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip.

   "Our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for 
sustaining Ryan's life and bringing him back home after what has been the most 
challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives," the family's statement said. 
They thanked both Trump and Biden, as well as many government officials, for 
their efforts in freeing him.

   Corbett's family also praised the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar "for their 
vital role in facilitating Ryan's release, and for their visits to Ryan as the 
United States' Protecting Power in Afghanistan." Energy-rich Qatar, which 
hosted negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban over the years, did not 
immediately respond to requests for comment.

   Both CNN and The New York Times, relying on anonymous U.S. officials, 
identified the second American released as William McKenty, though no other 
details have emerged about his identity or what he was doing in Afghanistan.

   Mohammed, 55, was a prisoner in California after his 2008 conviction. The 
Bureau of Prisons early Tuesday listed Mohammed as not being in their custody.

   Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said 
Mohammed had arrived in Afghanistan and was with his family. There were no 
immediate plans to celebrate or mark his freedom, Takal added.

   Mohammed was detained on the battlefield in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province 
and later taken to the U.S. A federal jury convicted him on charges of securing 
heroin and opium that he knew were bound for the United States and, in doing 
so, assisting terrorism activity.

   The Justice Department at the time referred to Mohammed as "a violent 
jihadist and narcotics trafficker" who "sought to kill U.S. soldiers in 
Afghanistan using rockets." He was the first person to be convicted on U.S. 
narco-terrorism laws.

   Before Biden left office, his administration had been trying to work out a 
deal to free Corbett as well as George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi in exchange 
for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

   Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban's 
intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling through the country. 
Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman who worked as a contractor for a 
Kabul-based telecommunications company, also went missing in 2022. The Taliban 
have denied they have Habibi.

   Habibi's family welcomed the exchange and said they were confident the Trump 
administration would make a "greater effort" to free him, expressing their 
frustration with the Biden team.

   "We know they have evidence my brother is alive and in Taliban hands and it 
could have been influential in encouraging the Taliban to admit they have him," 
Habibi's brother Ahmed said in a statement shared by the nonprofit Global 
Reach. "The Biden NSC (National Security Council) refused to use it. We know 
Trump is about results and we have faith he will use every tool available to 
get Mahmood home."

   Officials in Washington did not respond to requests for comment early 
Tuesday after Trump's inauguration the day before.

   The Taliban called the exchange the result of "long and fruitful 
negotiations" with the U.S. and said it was a good example of solving problems 
through dialogue.

   "The Islamic Emirate looks positively at the actions of the United States of 
America that help the normalization and development of relations between the 
two countries," it said.

   The Taliban have been trying to make inroads in being recognized, in part to 
escape the economic tailspin caused by their takeover. Billions in 
international funds were frozen, and tens of thousands of highly skilled 
Afghans fled the country and took their money with them.