Latest News
US, Afghanistan in talks to swap detainees, WSJ reports
In August last year, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said that they will release the prisoners in exchange for Afghans held by the United States.
The Biden administration is negotiating with Afghanistan to exchange Americans detained in the country for at least one high-profile prisoner held in Guantanamo Bay with alleged ties to former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Representatives of the White House and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.
Representatives for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) also did not immediately respond, WSJ reported.
Outgoing US President Joe Biden’s administration is seeking the return of three Americans arrested in 2022 – Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi – in exchange for Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani, the WSJ reported.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that the Biden administration has been negotiating with the IEA since at least July last year on a US proposal to exchange Corbett, Glezmann and Habibi for Rahim.
The IEA, who deny holding Habibi, countered with an offer to exchange Glezmann and Corbett for Rahim and two others, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In August last year, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said that they will release the prisoners in exchange for Afghans held by the United States.
“Two Americans who were found guilty in Afghanistan for violating Afghan laws are in prison. They are here. But if they want the release of the prisoners, we also have our own Afghans who are in American prisons and should be released.
“We don’t have anyone named Habibi in our prisons. But investigation is ongoing to find out what happened in this regard,” Mujahid said.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council said they could not confirm the WSJ story, but added that the administration was “working around the clock” to secure the release of the three Americans.
Rahim’s lawyer, James Connell, told Reuters that neither the Biden administration nor the IEA had informed him or Rahim of the negotiations.
Latest News
Khalilzad questions Pakistan’s commitment to Afghan welfare
Latest News
India, UN envoy discuss Afghanistan’s humanitarian needs
Latest News
Kazakhstan calls for coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
-
World5 days agoCNN, MS NOW and Politico sue Trump, challenging White House ban
-
Latest News3 days agoAriana Afghan Airlines ranks seventh among 45 Central Asian airlines
-
Latest News5 days agoUN reiterates call for respect for international law after Kunar airstrikes
-
Regional4 days agoUS and Iran hold first talks since June after Trump’s ‘annihilation’ threat
-
Latest News3 days agoSilk Road highway in Wakhan corridor now reaches the China border
-
Latest News5 days agoAfghan Official: Pakistan’s airstrikes will not go unanswered
-
Regional5 days agoG7 foreign ministers call on Iran to stop arming Houthis
-
Regional3 days agoIran airlines cancel flights as US sanctions hit
