Afghan Taliban government swaps prisoners with US

KABUL — The Taliban government said on Tuesday it had released two US citizens from prison in return for an Afghan fighter held in the United States, in a deal brokered by Qatar.

Former US president Joe Biden agreed to the deal shortly before leaving office on Monday, with the exchange finally taking place after Donald Trump returned to the White House, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

"An Afghan fighter, Khan Mohammed, imprisoned in America, has been released in exchange for American citizens and returned to the country," the Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Mohammed had been serving a life sentence in California after being arrested "almost two decades ago" in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, the ministry said.

Mohammed, who was convicted of narco-terrorism by a US court, returned to the province on Tuesday, where he was greeted by a crowd and presented with garlands of flowers.

He told journalists he was grateful to the Taliban authorities for his release and he was "very happy" to be reunited with his family.

"A lot of innocent people are imprisoned; my request is that all of them can be released and be able to return to their homes," he said.

His son, Rafiullah Mohammed, said his father was innocent and that the family demanded compensation.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP that two US nationals had been released, declining to provide any further details on the exchange.

The family of US citizen Ryan Corbett, who was detained by the Taliban in 2022, confirmed he was released and thanked both the Biden and Trump administrations, as well as Qatar. "Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan's life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives," the family said on their website.

They called for two other US citizens still held in Afghanistan to be released.

The person familiar with the deal confirmed William McKenty as the second released US detainee. Little is known about what he was doing in Afghanistan and his family asked for privacy.

Qatar's lead negotiator, Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, confirmed the nation's mediation in the exchange, with all the released people going through Doha.

Agencies Via Xinhua