Taliban-US prisoner swap: Two Americans exchanged for Afghan national

The US and Afghanistan have struck a deal exchanging two American prisoners for Khan Mohammed, a Taliban member serving a life sentence in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges.

Officials confirmed the swap as Donald Trump took office on Tuesday.

The Taliban’s foreign ministry in Kabul confirmed the deal, hailing it as a step toward the “normalisation” of ties between Afghanistan and the US. However, broader international recognition of Taliban rule remains unlikely.

Ryan Corbett, one of the freed Americans, was first detained by the Taliban in August 2022 during a business trip. His family expressed appreciation after the news emerged.

“Our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,” they said in a statement.

They also thanked both Trump and Biden administrations, as well as Qatar, for negotiating Corbett’s release.

The second American was identified by anonymous US officials as William McKenty, though details about his detention remain unclear.

Quid pro quo

Mohammed, 55, had been convicted in 2008 on charges of narco-terrorism, with the US Justice Department calling him a “violent jihadist and narcotics trafficker”.

He was accused of orchestrating heroin and opium shipments to the US to fund terrorist activities as well as planning “to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets”. 

As of early Tuesday, the US Bureau of Prisons indicated that Mohammed was no longer in its custody.

Mohammed has since returned to Afghanistan and reunited with his family, Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, a deputy spokesperson for the Afghan Foreign Ministry confirmed. No public celebrations are planned for his release.

Before Joe Biden left office, his administration had attempted to secure the release of two other Americans, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi, hoping to exchange them for Muhammed Rahim, who is being held at Guantanamo Bay.

Glezmann was detained by Taliban intelligence in 2022, while Habibi, who went missing the same year, remains unaccounted for. The Taliban has denied he is in custody.

The Taliban described the swap as the outcome of “long and fruitful negotiations” and expressed optimism about furthering dialogue with the US.

“The Islamic Emirate looks positively at the actions of the United States of America that help the normalisation and development of relations between the two countries,” the statement said.

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The exchange comes as the Taliban seeks to gain international recognition and improve Afghanistan’s economic crisis, caused in part by frozen international funds and the mass departure of skilled nationals following their 2021 takeover.