U.S. officials and media confirmed the release of two Americans held in Afghanistan in exchange for a Taliban man imprisoned for life in California on drug and terrorism charges.
Taliban leaders on January 21 identified Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two life terms in 2008, as the man released from the U.S. prison “as a result of long and fruitful negotiations” between Afghanistan and the United States.
Afghanistan “views positively the actions taken by the United States that contribute to the normalization and development of relations between the two countries,” the Foreign Ministry said.
SEE ALSO: 'Lives Are In Danger': Afghans Devastated By Trump's Refugee Resettlement SuspensionA 2008 U.S. Justice Department statement identified the released Afghan man as a member of the "Afghan Taliban sentenced to life in prison in nation’s first conviction on narco-terror charges.” He was convicted following a seven-day jury trial and sentenced to two life terms.
The Afghan ministry did not identify the two Americans set free, but CNN, AP, and family members identified them as Ryan Corbett and William McKenty.
A member of the new administration of President Donald Trump told news agencies that the deal was brokered by President Joe Biden’s team before he left office on January 20.
No mention was made of two other U.S. citizens being held by Taliban -- George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi, both of whom have been held since 2022.
Details of the negotiations were not revealed. The United States, like most countries, does not recognize the Taliban -- which captured Kabul in mid-2021 -- as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan.
“The Trump administration will continue to demand the release of all Americans held by the Taliban, especially in light of the billions of dollars in U.S. aid they’ve received in recent years," White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement on January 21.
The Corbett family thanked both Biden and Trump in a statement and said, “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 also thanked officials in Qatar “for their vital role in facilitating" the release of Corbett. Qatar has often hosted negotiations between Washington and the Taliban.
SEE ALSO: Malala Condemns Taliban On Women’s Rights, Assails ‘Gender Apartheid’On January 13, the White House said Biden had spoken to the families of three Americans held by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2022 and promised to do everything possible to bring them home as he headed into the final days of his presidency.
Aid worker Corbett, 40, and Habibi, 37 -- who led the Afghan Aviation Authority under the previous Afghan government -- were detained separately in August 2022, a year after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan from the Western-backed government.
Glezmann, now 66, was detained later in 2022 while visiting as a tourist.
No information was immediately known about the reasons for McKenty’s presence in Afghanistan or how long he had been held there.