WASHINGTON — The State Department announced Thursday that the Taliban has released an American man, George Glezmann, who was kidnapped over two years ago while traveling in Afghanistan. The release was facilitated by Qatari negotiators as part of an agreement with the Trump administration.
Glezmann, an Atlanta-based airline mechanic, is the third American to be freed by the Taliban since January. He was captured by Taliban intelligence in December 2022 and officially designated as wrongfully detained by the U.S. government the following year.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Glezmann is returning to the United States to reunite with his wife, Aleksandra. He also thanked Qatar for their crucial diplomatic efforts in securing Glezmann’s release.
Rubio called Glezmann’s release a “positive and constructive step,” while also reminding that other Americans remain detained in Afghanistan and that President Trump would continue to work to free all Americans unjustly detained around the world.
Adam Boehler, who handles hostage issues for the Trump administration, is accompanying Glezmann back to the United States via Doha, Qatar. Earlier Thursday, the Taliban revealed that Boehler had met with a delegation including Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss hostage matters.
The release of Glezmann, who is in his mid-60s, is considered by the Taliban as part of the “normalization” of relations between the U.S. and Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. However, most countries still do not recognize the Taliban’s government.
Glezmann’s release follows a previous agreement in January, also mediated by Qatar, that led to the release of Ryan Corbett and William McKenty.
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul stated that Corbett and McKenty were exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was captured in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, and sentenced to two life terms in the U.S. in 2008 under U.S. narco-terrorism laws.
Unlike the January arrangement, the U.S. did not release any prisoners to secure Glezmann’s freedom, which was presented as a goodwill gesture, according to a source familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity.
President Joe Biden considered a prior proposal before leaving office that involved releasing Glezmann and other Americans in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, a Guantanamo Bay detainee. However, Biden informed families in January that he would not approve the trade unless the Taliban also released Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman and contractor who disappeared in Kabul in 2022.
The FBI and Habibi’s family believe he was abducted by the Taliban, a claim the Taliban denies. Representatives for Habibi cited “overwhelming evidence” that he was arrested by the Taliban after his home was searched by individuals identifying themselves as Taliban security forces.
Ahmad, one of Habibi’s brothers, stated, “We are confident that the Trump Administration will hold firm that my brother needs to be released for relations with the U.S. to move forward. We have reason to be confident Mahmood is alive and in Taliban custody, despite their hollow denials of holding him. My brother is an innocent man who has been held away from his wife, young daughter, and elderly parents for 953 days.”
Associated Press writers Victoria Eastwood in Cairo and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.
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