The Taliban has freed two Americans held in Afghanistan as part of a prisoner swap. The release came in return for the handover of a Taliban figure serving a life sentence in the United States on drug trafficking and terrorism charges.
Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, the Americans who gained their freedom in the exchange this week, were transferred through Qatar before returning home, CBS News reported.
Afghan Foreign Ministry officials said they had traded them for Khan Mohammed, who received two life sentences in a 2008 trial in the U.S., according to The Associated Press.
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Mohammed, 55, had been detained on the battlefield in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province and later flown to California, where he was found guilty of securing heroin and opium bound for the U.S. and, in doing so, aiding terrorist activities.
Photographs released by Taliban media Tuesday showed Mohammed back in Nangarhar, draped in flowers and greeting his family.
Corbett, who was abducted in August 2022 while on a business trip, had been living in Afghanistan since before the American-backed government fell in 2021. Corbett’s family, in a statement, thanked both the former administration of President Joe Biden and the administration of President Donald Trump for their efforts in securing his release.
They also expressed gratitude to Qatari authorities, noting that Doha had been a critical intermediary in the talks. “Our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life,” the statement read, as quoted by the AP. “These 894 days have been the most challenging and uncertain of our lives.”
Corbett’s family also said they recognized the privilege of having him returned and vowed to keep advocating for other Americans still believed to be in Taliban custody. Among those is airline mechanic George Glezmann, who reportedly went missing in December 2022, and Afghan American businessman Mahmood Habibi, whose family insists he is in Taliban hands despite official denials.
It remains unclear why McKenty was being held or what led to his arrest in Afghanistan. Officials haven’t disclosed details of his case. A source close to Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani told CBS News that the United Arab Emirates and Qatar facilitated the swap, though neither government offered public comment on their role.
Senior U.S. officials from both administrations confirmed that the agreement was brokered by the Biden team in its final days, building on negotiations that had stalled earlier.
The Trump administration issued a statement celebrating the return of the two Americans and urged the Taliban to release any other U.S. citizens in its custody. National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes thanked Qatar for its role in coordinating the transfer, pointing to the billions of dollars in U.S. aid Afghanistan has received over recent years.
The Taliban described the exchange as proof that progress can occur through dialogue, urging further steps toward what it called the “normalization” of ties. Most nations, however, continue to withhold formal recognition of the Taliban, given the group’s strict policies and record on human rights.
