On Thursday, the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan released a US citizen after holding direct talks with US officials in Kabul.
Trump envoy Adam Boehler and former US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad traveled to Afghanistan on Thursday and held talks with Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the foreign minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the formal name of the Taliban government.
The meeting marked the first time the new Trump administration engaged directly with the Taliban and resulted in the release of George Glezmann, an American citizen who was detained by the Taliban in 2022 while traveling in Afghanistan over spying allegations.
US officials said the release of Glezmann was the result of a deal brokered by Qatar. “With a mandate to secure the release of unjustly detained Americans overseas, envoy Adam Boehler has been in close contact with his Qatari counterparts on this case,” an unnamed diplomat told NBC News.
“Following weeks of negotiations, a breakthrough was made by the Qataris during recent meetings with the Taliban,” the official added.
Khalilzad, who negotiated the deal that led to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, said the Taliban government released Glezmann as a “goodwill gesture” toward President Trump and the American people. “Today is a good day. We succeeded in obtaining the release of an he wrote on X.
The Taliban said in a statement that the talks marked a “significant step in rebuilding diplomatic engagement” with the US. “Continued discussions could pave the way for broader political and economic cooperation between the two countries,” the statement said.
According to NBC, the release of Glezmann was not part of any broader prisoner swap, but the US is looking to secure the release of more Americans held in Afghanistan.
The release of Glezmann came amid uncertainty over Boehler’s role in the Trump administration. He recently withdrew his nomination to be the special envoy for hostage affairs to avoid a requirement to divest from his investment business, but the White House said he would continue to work on hostage issues as a “special government employee.”
Boehler’s recent direct talks with Hamas infuriated the Israelis and reportedly got him removed from working on issues related to Israeli hostages in Gaza, although US officials downplayed those reports. Boehler said the Hamas negotiations made good progress, but the direct US engagement with the Palestinian group ended after the talks were leaked to the press.
