Afghanistan’s de-facto Taliban rulers stated they’ve reached settlement with visiting US officers on an alternate of prisoners, though no particulars got and Washington has not but confirmed {that a} deal has been struck.
Following the September 13 assembly, the Taliban launched photographs of the assembly involving US President Donald Trump’s particular envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
“Adam Boehler, referring to the difficulty of detained residents between Afghanistan and the United States, stated that each nations will alternate prisoners,” Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar’s workplace stated after the assembly.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio didn’t verify that an alternate was imminent, saying solely that Boehler had gone to Kabul to “discover what’s doable.”
“Our particular envoy for folks unlawfully detained has been having conversations for some time,” Rubio informed reporters as he departed Washington for a visit to the Middle East.
“Obviously, will probably be the president’s choice when it comes to any trades or any exchanges, however we most actually need any Americans or anybody who’s being unlawfully detained to be launched. And so he went there to discover what that will seem like,” Rubio stated.
Taliban authorities spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat wrote on X that “each side emphasised that they’ll proceed to debate varied present and future points in bilateral relations, particularly these residents who’re imprisoned in each nations.”
The Taliban Foreign Ministry stated in a press release that discussions centered on bilateral relations with the United States and the necessity to proceed talks, significantly associated to the difficulty of prisoner exchanges.
The assertion didn’t lay out how many individuals are being held in every nation, their identities, or the explanations for his or her detention.
US citizen Mahmood Habibi, 37, who led the Afghan Aviation Authority below the earlier US-allied Afghan authorities, is among the most distinguished Americans believed to be detained in Afghanistan.
His standing is unsure since his arrest in August 2022, with the Taliban denying that they maintain him. Habibi relations say the Taliban handed him over to the Al-Qaeda terror group, whereas the United States has supplied a $5 million reward for his return.
Another American, airline mechanic George Glezmann, 66, was freed in March throughout a go to to Kabul by Boehler after greater than two years in detention. He was the third American freed by the Taliban since Trump returned to the presidency in January.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the earlier US particular envoy to Afghanistan, accompanied Boehler to the Kabul assembly. He didn’t instantly remark.
Since the Taliban overthrew the US-backed authorities in August 2021, dozens of overseas nationals have been arrested by the de-facto authorities.
The Taliban rulers, beset by unrest, pure disasters, and rampant poverty, are looking for to enhance relations with the worldwide group, particularly the United States, to solidify their rule.
Russia is the one nation to formally acknowledge the Taliban authorities, which has broadly been accused of human rights violations, significantly in opposition to ladies.
Afghanistan was hit by a significant earthquake that struck the distant mountainous province of Kunar on August 31, killing greater than 2,200 folks. More than 3,600 have been additionally injured within the tremor, which worn out total villages within the area.
