Two US Citizens Released by Taliban in Afghanistan
According to reports from US media, the Taliban in Afghanistan have released two US citizens as part of a prisoner exchange. The Afghan Foreign Ministry in Kabul announced on Tuesday that the two individuals, whose names were not disclosed, were exchanged for Khan Mohammed. Mohammed was sentenced to two life terms in prison in the US in 2008, after being captured by the US Army in Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan, and brought to the US.
The US Bureau of Prisons (BOP) confirmed on Tuesday that the 55-year-old man, who was convicted of drug possession and terrorism, is no longer in US custody. The Taliban were quoted as saying that the prisoner exchange was a “result of long and fruitful negotiations” and a step towards “normalizing the relationship between Afghanistan and the US”.
According to the AP report, one of the two released US citizens is Ryan Corbett, whose family confirmed his release and thanked former US President Joe Biden, his successor Donald Trump, and Qatar, which played a key role as a mediator. Corbett was arrested by the Taliban in August 2022 during a business trip. He and his family had witnessed the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan a year earlier. Corbett is now home after 894 days of uncertainty, his family said.
CNN and The New York Times identified the second released US citizen as William McKenty, but no further details about him were made public. No comment was available from US authorities at the early morning on Tuesday.