Taliban free 2 Americans in prisoner swap with US  

Islamabad — 

Taliban authorities successful Afghanistan announced Tuesday the merchandise of 2 American nationals arsenic portion of a captive speech for 1 of their members, who was held successful the United States connected narcotics-terrorism charges.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs successful Kabul identified the freed Afghan arsenic Khan Mohammad and described him arsenic a “mujahid,” a word the Taliban usage for their fighters.

The connection said that the antheral was arrested astir 2 decades agone successful the eastbound Afghan state of Nangarhar and subsequently extradited to the U.S., wherever a national tribunal convicted him, resulting successful his imprisonment for beingness successful California.

The de facto Afghan authorities did not sanction the 2 freed American citizens oregon specify however galore had been freed, but relatives and U.S. media reports identified them arsenic Ryan Corbett, 42, and William Wallace McKenty, 69.

“Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s beingness and bringing him backmost location aft what has been the astir challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,” his household stated Tuesday.

Limited nationalist accusation is disposable astir McKenty arsenic his household reportedly requested U.S. authorities to support his anonymity.

The captive speech was successful the making for galore months and reportedly occurred during Democratic President Joe Biden’s last hours successful bureau earlier Republican President Donald Trump was inaugurated connected Monday.

Corbett's household connection praised some the Trump and Biden administrations for their efforts to facilitate the captive exchange.

The Taliban said Tuesday that Qatar played an “effective role” successful facilitating their captive swap statement with the United States.

U.S. officials and relatives person reported that 2 different American captives, George Glezmann, a erstwhile hose mechanic, and Mahmood Habibi, a naturalized American, stay successful Taliban custody successful Afghanistan.

Habibi and Glezmann were apprehended soon aft a U.S. drone onslaught successful July 2022 killed fugitive al-Qaida person Ayman al-Zawahri successful his hideout successful an affluent Afghan superior neighborhood.

Glezmann, 65, was lawfully visiting Kabul arsenic a tourer erstwhile helium was seized by the Taliban’s quality services without charge, his relatives said.

Habibi’s household says helium was arrested by the Taliban, on with 30 different employees of the institution helium worked at, pursuing the U.S. drone strike. While his co-workers were released, Habibi’s whereabouts stay unknown, and Taliban officials person refuted claims that helium is successful their custody.

“It was our anticipation that Ryan, George, and Mahmoud would beryllium returned to their families together, and we cannot ideate the symptom that our bully luck volition bring them,” Corbett’s household stated Tuesday.

Habibi's relatives welcomed the reunion of Corbett and McKenty with their families, assured the Trump medication volition intensify efforts to unafraid his state from his “wrongful” detention.

“We person crushed to beryllium assured Mahmood is live and successful Taliban custody, contempt their hollow denials of holding him,” his member Ahmad Habibi stated,

Global Reach, a nonprofit moving with the household of Mahmood Habibi since his arrest, shared the household connection with VOA via email.

“While we are blessed for Ryan and William, we are disappointed that Mahmood was not included successful the deal,” said the organization's CEO Mickey Bergman.