KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, has said that they would consider releasing two Americans in exchange for the release of Taliban members held by the United States.
During a press conference in Kabul on Wednesday, June 3rd, Mujahid said he had raised the proposal with the US delegation at the third UN-hosted meeting on Afghanistan in Doha, Qatar.
“Afghanistan’s terms should be accepted; we also have citizens detained in the US and Guantanamo. To secure the release of the two Americans, they should release Afghan citizens. Just as American citizens are important to them, Afghans are important to us,” he said.
However, Mujahid did not specify the number or details of Taliban members detained in the US and the US-run Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, June 2, Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, also mentioned that US special representative Thomas West raised the issue with the Taliban delegation at the Doha meeting.
“During these meetings, Special Rep West pressed for the immediate and unconditional release of U.S. citizens unjustly detained in Afghanistan, noting that these detentions impede progress in the Taliban’s own desire for international recognition,” he said.
“U.S. officials continue to press for their release continuously and at every opportunity,” he emphasized.
It is unclear how many Taliban members remain in US and Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp. However, it is confirmed that two US citizens, including Ryan Corbett, are being held by the Taliban.
Since Mr. Corbett’s detention, US lawmakers and his family have consistently urged the Biden administration to increase efforts to secure his release, especially given his deteriorating health condition in Taliban custody.
Last month, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution urging the release of Mr. Corbett, who was “wrongfully detained” by the Taliban on August 10, 2022.
The Taliban has a history of holding Westerners hostage to gain political advantage and secure prisoner exchanges.
In September 2022, Bashir Noorzai, a Taliban financier and drug lord serving a life sentence, was released in exchange for the freedom of Mark Frerichs, a US citizen detained by the Taliban before the collapse of the Afghan republic government.
In 2014, the Taliban released Bowe Bergdahl, a U.S. Army sergeant who had been held captive for five years by the Haqqani network, a Taliban-affiliated group, in exchange for five Taliban leaders held at Guantánamo Bay.
