By Online Service Group
Copyright daryo
The Taliban freed a U.S. citizen from Afghan detention weeks after announcing a prisoner swap deal with U.S. envoys intended to normalize relations, the Associated Press reported.
The freed American was identified by the Taliban’s deputy foreign ministry spokesperson, Zia Ahmad Takal, as Amir Amiri. Details regarding his detention, including when and where he was held or the reason for his imprisonment, were not disclosed.
An official familiar with the case, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Amiri had been detained in Afghanistan since December 2024 and was en route back to the United States.
Qatar facilitated the release, marking another diplomatic success for the Gulf nation, which has coordinated the freedom of four other Americans held by the Taliban this year. The country also helped secure the release of a British couple imprisoned in Afghanistan for several months.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Amiri’s release, calling it a demonstration of the administration’s commitment to protecting Americans from wrongful detention abroad. Rubio emphasized that additional U.S. citizens remain in Taliban custody.
“President Trump will not rest until all our captive citizens are back home,” Rubio said, referencing a recent executive order aimed at safeguarding Americans overseas.
Families of other detained U.S. citizens expressed cautious optimism. Ahmad Habibi, whose brother Mahmood Habibi has been held by the Taliban for over three years, said the family was heartened by news of Amiri’s release and remained hopeful for Mahmood’s return. Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan-American business owner and contractor for a Kabul-based telecommunications company, disappeared in 2022. The FBI and his family believe he was taken by the Taliban, who deny holding him.
The terms of the U.S.-Taliban exchange remain unclear. Afghanistan continues to face significant economic and humanitarian challenges, including the aftermath of a magnitude-6 earthquake in late August and a sharp decline in international aid that has followed years of U.S. withdrawal.
Despite these pressures, Afghanistan remains a strategic focus for the Trump administration, which has expressed interest in reclaiming Bagram Air Base, a former U.S. military facility, a move reportedly rejected by senior Taliban officials.
