The United States has exchanged two American citizens, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, for Taliban prisoner Khan Mohammed in a prisoner swap. The deal, hailed by the Taliban as a step towards normalization, comes amid ongoing efforts to secure the release of other Americans held by the group.
This family photo shows Ryan Corbett holding rabbits with his daughter Miriam and son Caleb in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2020. (Anna Corbett via AP) A prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges, officials said Tuesday. The swap involved Ryan Corbett , a U.S.
citizen who had been detained by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip, and another unidentified American, William McKenty. In return, the Taliban received the release of Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment in 2008 on charges of securing heroin and opium that he knew were bound for the United States and, in doing so, assisting terrorism activity. Corbett's family expressed overwhelming gratitude and praised God for his release after 894 days of uncertainty. They thanked both President Trump and President Biden, as well as many government officials, for their efforts. The family also praised Qatar 'for their vital role in facilitating Ryan's release, and for their visits to Ryan as the United States' Protecting Power in Afghanistan.' Mohammed, 55, had been a prisoner in California after his 2008 conviction. The Bureau of Prisons early Tuesday listed Mohammed as not being in their custody. Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said Mohammed had arrived in Afghanistan and was with his family. There were no immediate plans to celebrate or mark his freedom, Takal added. Mohammed was detained on the battlefield in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province and later taken to the U.S. A federal jury convicted him on charges of securing heroin and opium that he knew were bound for the United States and, in doing so, assisting terrorism activity. The Justice Department at the time referred to Mohammed as 'a violent jihadist and narcotics trafficker' who 'sought to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets.' He was the first person to be convicted on U.S. narco-terrorism laws. Before Biden left office, his administration had been trying to work out a deal to free Corbett as well as George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban's intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling through the country. Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman who worked as a contractor for a Kabul-based telecommunications company, also went missing in 2022. The Taliban have denied they have Habibi. Habibi's family welcomed the exchange and said they were confident the Trump administration would make a 'greater effort' to free him, expressing their frustration with the Biden team. 'We know they have evidence my brother is alive and in Taliban hands and it could have been influential in encouraging the Taliban to admit they have him,' Habibi's brother Ahmed said in a statement shared by the nonprofit Global Reach. 'The Biden NSC (National Security Council) refused to use it. We know Trump is about results and we have faith he will use every tool available to get Mahmood home.'The Taliban called the exchange the result of 'long and fruitful negotiations' with the U.S. and said it was a good example of solving problems through dialogue. 'The Islamic Emirate looks positively at the actions of the United States of America that help the normalization and development of relations between the two countries,' it said. The Taliban have been trying to make inroads in being recognized, in part to escape the economic tailspin caused by their takeover. Billions in international funds were frozen, and tens of thousands of highly skilled Afghans fled the country and took their money with them. Officials in Washington did not respond to requests for comment early Tuesday after Trump's inauguration the day before
PRISONER SWAP UNITED STATES TALIBAN KHAN MOHAMMED RYAN CORBETT WILLIAM MCKENTY AFGHANISTAN
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