Taliban release American amid talks with US on ties
The freeing of Amir Amiri came as the country is in broader economic and political talks with the Trump administration.
Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban released a U.S. citizen from custody, a display of goodwill by Kabul that comes when the country is in broader economic and political talks with the Trump administration.
On Sunday, the Taliban released Amir Amiri, making him the fifth American to be released from Afghanistan this year. The talks, which were led by U.S. envoy for hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, were mediated by Qatar. Qatar enjoys a close security relationship with Washington and has been integral to the release of detained Americans.
The release could help support ongoing talks between Kabul and the U.S. on a number of issues. Earlier this month, President Trump said the U.S. was in discussions with Afghanistan over taking back control of Bagram Air Base. The installation was the largest American base in Afghanistan during a 20-year war against the Taliban that ended in 2021. The U.S. withdrew from the country that year.
Following Trump’s remarks about Bagram, a U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal that the air base was part of wider discussions with the Taliban government on re-establishing ties, as well as on economic and security issues. Those talks are led by Boehler, the official said. Afghanistan is seeking access to billions of dollars of central bank reserves the U.S. seized in 2021.
Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, a Qatari diplomat and hostage negotiator, said Sunday that the release of Amiri could contribute to a more positive atmosphere for addressing outstanding issues between the U.S. and Afghanistan.
The Taliban have firmly rejected the idea that it would accept U.S. troops on its territory and has also dismissed the idea of a U.S. intelligence presence inside Afghanistan.
But in a social-media post following Trump’s remarks, a senior official in Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry, Zakir Jalaly, appeared to leave open the possibility of other forms of cooperation.
“Afghanistan and America need to engage with each other and can have economic and political relations based on mutual respect and common benefits, without America having a military presence in any part of Afghanistan," Jalaly wrote.
The Taliban released two Americans in a prisoner swap in January, followed by two more in March. Earlier this month, the Taliban released a British couple from custody, also following mediation from Qatar.
Other U.S. citizens are still held in Afghanistan, including Mahmoud Habibi, an American of Afghan descent who disappeared in the country three years ago. The Taliban have denied holding him. His family has expressed hope that the Trump administration can secure Habibi’s release as well.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that the Trump administration would pursue bringing home other Americans detained unjustly in Afghanistan.
The U.S. delegation arrived on Sunday and met with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqi. Qatar released a photo showing Amiri on a plane with Boehler and Trump’s counterterrorism adviser, Sebastian Gorka.
Former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan peace talks, Zalmay Khalilzad, said the hostage releases showed the Taliban were reading U.S. signals correctly.
“The Trump administration’s hardline policy against the detention of American citizens abroad, on one hand, and its efforts to establish communications with the Taliban, on the other, have clearly played a role in this shift," said Khalilzad in a post on X on Sunday.
Write to Tripti Lahiri at tripti.lahiri@wsj.com
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