Taliban announce the release of two Americans held in Afghanistan in a prisoner exchange

Afghanistan’s Taliban government announced the release of two Americans in a prisoner exchange. Image used for representative purpose only.
| Photo Credit: AP

Afghanistan‘s Taliban government announced on Tuesday (January 21, 2025) the release of two Americans in a prisoner exchange.

The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul did not name the two U.S. citizens, but said they were exchanged for Khan Muhammad, who was arrested in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar two decades ago and has been serving a life sentence in a California prison.

The ministry said the exchange was the result of “long and fruitful negotiations” with the U.S. and was a good example of solving problems through dialogue.

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