WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden held discussions on Sunday with the families of three Americans who have been detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban since 2022. The White House reiterated the President’s dedication to repatriating Americans who are wrongfully held abroad.
The Biden administration has been engaged in negotiations with the Taliban since at least July regarding a U.S. proposal for the release of the three Americans – Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann, and Mahmood Habibi. This proposal involves the potential exchange for Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani, a significant detainee at Guantanamo Bay, as reported by Reuters last week, citing a reliable source involved in the talks.
There are ongoing efforts to secure the release of the detained Americans, according to a second source familiar with the matter speaking on Sunday.
Corbett and Habibi were apprehended in separate incidents in August 2022, following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul during the turbulent U.S. military withdrawal. Glezmann was taken into custody later in 2022 while on a tourist visit to the region.
Ahmad Habibi, Mahmood Habibi’s brother, who participated in the Sunday call, expressed gratitude for the dialogue with President Biden. He noted, “President Biden assured us that he would not agree to the exchange unless the Taliban release my brother. He emphasized his commitment to ensuring my brother’s return. We are thankful for his support.”
The Taliban, however, has rebuffed the U.S. proposal and instead suggested exchanging Glezmann and Corbett for Rahim and two others, as revealed by one of the sources to Reuters last week.
The White House highlighted that President Biden has successfully facilitated the return of over 75 Americans who were unjustly detained in various locations worldwide, including Myanmar, China, Gaza, Haiti, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Venezuela, and West Africa. Additionally, all U.S. citizens captured in Afghanistan before the military withdrawal have been repatriated by his administration.
The White House underscored the relentless work undertaken by President Biden and his team, often in collaboration with key allies, to negotiate for the release of American hostages or those wrongfully detained abroad. This commitment will persist throughout the remainder of the administration.
According to a Senate intelligence committee report, Rahim was identified as an “al Qaeda facilitator” and was arrested in Pakistan in June 2007 before being transferred to the CIA in the following month. He was held in a clandestine CIA facility, where he underwent harsh interrogation techniques, including prolonged sleep deprivation, before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in March 2008.
In a recent development, President Biden authorized the transfer of 11 Guantanamo detainees to Oman, significantly reducing the prison population at the Cuban facility by nearly half. This move aligns with the administration’s objective to shutter the detention center as the President approaches the end of his term on Jan. 20.
[Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Jonathan Landay, and Katharine
