The USA is in negotiations with the Taliban on the exchange of Americans in Afghanistan for prisoners in Guantanamo
The Biden administration reportedly negotiated with the Taliban to exchange three Americans detained in Afghanistan for a Guantanamo Bay prisoner who was allegedly a close associate of Osama bin Laden.
The negotiations, which have been going on since at least July last year, include the exchange of suspected senior al Qaeda aide Muhammad Rahim al Afghani for US citizens George Glezmann, Ryan Corbett and Mahmoud Habibi, who were arrested in Afghanistan in 2022. The Wall Street Journal.
After the White House proposed the swap in November, the Taliban retaliated, demanding Rahim and two others in exchange for Glezmann and Corbett, the newspaper reported.
Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee told the newspaper that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan later informed them during a confidential session on December 17, 2024, that Biden was still considering the offer. One participant added that during the meeting, the panel’s chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, expressed concern that the Taliban’s counteroffer was not good for the U.S.
“The safety and security of Americans abroad is one of the top priorities of the Biden-Harris administration, and we are working around the clock to ensure the safe return of George, Ryan and Mahmoud,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett recently told The Wall. Street Journal.
This is a developing story. Check again for updates.
