Americans Freed from Taliban in Exchange for Narcotics Trafficker
Two Americans who were being held in Afghanistan have been released by the Taliban in exchange for a “violent jihadist and narcotics trafficker” serving life in California. This exchange occurred just hours after President Trump returned to the White House, according to officials.
Ryan Corbett and William McKenty are on their way back to the United States following the exchange for Khan Mohammed, who was convicted under US narco-terrorism laws. Mohammed, who had been seeking to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets, had already arrived back in Kabul, as confirmed by the Taliban.
Corbett was detained by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip, marking 894 days of uncertainty for his family. They expressed gratitude for his safe return and credited both Trump and Biden for their efforts in securing his release.
McKenty, the second American released, remains unidentified with no details on his circumstances in Afghanistan or the duration of his detention.
Although the prisoner swap was initiated by the Biden administration, it coincided with Trump’s return to office. Mohammed, the Afghan man serving time in California, was detained in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province and subsequently taken to the US where he was convicted of trafficking heroin and opium intended for the US, thereby aiding terrorism.
Prior to leaving office, the Biden administration had also been negotiating for the release of George Glezmann and Mahmood Habib in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, a detainee at Guantanamo Bay. Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban in December 2022, while Habib, an Afghan-American businessman, went missing in the same year.
The families of the individuals still held by the Taliban expressed hope that the Trump administration would intensify efforts to secure their loved ones’ release, citing frustrations with the Biden team’s approach.
With the successful exchange completed, the focus now shifts to the remaining detainees and the ongoing efforts to bring them back home.
With Post wires
