Two Americans freed in Taliban prisoner exchange

Leaders of the Afghanistan terror group released U.S. citizens Ryan Corbett and William Wallace McKenty on Tuesday in exchange for a Taliban member. Khan Mohammad was serving a life sentence for drug trafficking and terror charges prior to the swap, which began in the last hours of the Biden administration. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Corbett’s release in Congress on Tuesday, describing the 42-year-old as a God-fearing husband and father of three. McKenty’s family members asked the government not to publicly identify them and very little is publicly known about the 69-year-old American, according to previous reporting.

So which administration made the trade happen? Biden officials made the agreement with Afghanistan leaders during the final hours of his presidency. However, the swap was prevented from taking place until after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. A Biden administrator told CNN the Trump administration was briefed on the agreed exchange and didn’t object. A Trump official claimed the incoming administration would have negotiated a different deal but is happy that Americans are coming home, according to CNN’s report.

Corbett’s family released a statement confirming the release and credited members of both the Biden and Trump administrations for returning them. Corbett’s family also thanked leaders in Qatar for aiding negotiations and pushed for the Taliban to release Americans George Glezmann and Mahmoud Habibi.

How many Americans are still in Afghanistan? Glezmann, an airline mechanic, was visiting Kabl as a tourist at the time of his December 2022 seizure by the Taliban, according to the James Foley Foundation, which advocates for the release of U.S. citizens who are held hostage or wrongfully detained. Habibi, a U.S. citizen, was working in Afghanistan at the time of his August 2022 capture, according to the foundation. A third American, author Paul Overby is missing in Afghanistan the foundation said in a statement.

Any comments from Afghanistan? The country’s foreign affairs office described negotiations as extensive and productive and thanked Qatar for facilitating the agreement. This exchange is a prime example of how to resolve conflict with effective dialogue, Thakal said. Afghan leaders view the agreement as a positive step towards normalizing and expanding relations with the United States, an official said.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Muncy’s report on The World and Everything in It about the latest round of government restrictions on women in Afghanistan.