President Joe Biden had a conversation on Sunday with the relatives of three Americans currently in Afghanistan that the U.S. government is working to repatriate. The outcome of the call did not clarify if a potential arrangement to bring them back, which is now under consideration, could be finalized before Biden’s term ends next week.
The call, involving family members of Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann, and Mahmoud Habibi, occurred towards the end of his administration as officials are in talks to secure a deal that might facilitate their return in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the detainees remaining at Guantanamo Bay.
Corbett, residing in Afghanistan with his family during the 2021 government collapse, was seized by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip. Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban’s intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling through the country. It is believed by officials that the Taliban is holding both men along with Habibi, an Afghan American businessman who vanished in 2022. The FBI reported that Habibi and his driver were taken with 29 other company employees, with everyone except Habibi and one other person being subsequently freed.
The Taliban has denied holding Habibi, complicating negotiations with the U.S. government. During the call, Biden assured the families that Rahim would not be exchanged unless Habibi was released by the Taliban, as relayed in a statement from Habibi’s brother, Ahmad Habibi.
Ryan Fayhee, representing Corbett’s relatives, expressed gratitude for Biden’s call but urged action on the proposed deal. Fayhee emphasized that the decision to accept the deal rests with the President, highlighting the importance of prioritizing American lives in the decision-making process.
If a deal is not reached before January 20, the incoming Trump administration would take over negotiations. However, it remains uncertain whether officials would pursue a different strategy concerning the release of a Guantanamo detainee labeled a threat by the U.S. government.
With just 15 detainees left at Guantanamo, down from a peak of nearly 800 under former President George W. Bush, Rahim is among the three remaining detainees neither charged nor considered safe for transfer by the U.S. The U.S. alleges Rahim’s involvement as an advisor, courier, and operative for senior al-Qaida figures, deeming him a continuing national security threat despite lacking formal charges or public evidence during his 17 years at Guantanamo.
Rahim’s attorney, James Connell, disclosed to a U.N. human rights commission that Rahim had been kept under significant secrecy, a notable feature even within Guantanamo’s military-run detention facility.
“Connell alleged to the U.S. government that an official informed him that all statements made by Rahim are classified for national security reasons.” The Biden administration executed a prisoner exchange in September 2022, swapping a Taliban drug lord convicted in the U.S. for an American civilian contractor held captive by the Taliban for over two years.___Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed to this report.
