|
A prisoner swap between the U.S. and Afghanistan last week freed
two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure, Khan Muhammad.
The deal to release Ryan Corbett and William McKenty was
brokered by Joe Biden ’s administration before he left office.
But two more Americans, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi,
remain in Taliban custody. The Taliban have not revealed how
many foreigners are behind bars.
“Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than
has been reported,” Rubio said in a post on X Saturday. “If this
is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on
their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on
(Osama) bin Laden.”
The Taliban’s ambassador to Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, said it was
the policy of the Afghan government to resolve issues peacefully
through dialogue, and he fired a warning shot at Rubio.
“In the face of pressure and aggression, the jihad (struggle) of
the Afghan nation in recent decades is a lesson that everyone
should learn from.”
The Taliban fought U.S. and NATO forces for two decades,
eventually returning to power in August 2021 amid a deadly and
chaotic withdrawal of foreign troops. Shaheen was part of the
Taliban’s negotiating team in Doha to secure a peace deal for
Afghanistan.
He said the recent release of another foreigner, Canadian David
Lavery, from an Afghan jail had been achieved through mediation
by the “friendly country of Qatar” and positive interactions
with the Taliban government on such cases.
Earlier Monday, Canada’s foreign minister, Melanie Joly, said
she had spoken with Lavery upon his arrival in Qatar.
“He is in good spirits,” Joly wrote on X, thanking Qatari Prime
Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al
Thani for helping facilitate Lavery’s release.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
