President Joe Biden recently had a conversation with the families of three Americans who have been detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban since 2022. The White House emphasized Biden’s commitment to bringing home Americans who are wrongfully held overseas. The Americans in question are Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann, and Mahmood Habibi. Negotiations have been ongoing between the Biden administration and the Taliban regarding a potential exchange of these three Americans for a high-profile prisoner named Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani, who is currently held in Guantanamo Bay.
Ryan Corbett and Mahmood Habibi were detained in separate incidents in August 2022, following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul. George Glezmann was detained later in 2022 while visiting Afghanistan as a tourist. Ahmad Habibi, Mahmood Habibi’s brother, expressed gratitude for President Biden’s assurance that he would not leave his brother behind and that he would not agree to the exchange proposed by the Taliban unless Mahmood is released.
The Taliban has denied holding Mahmood Habibi and has suggested an alternative exchange involving George Glezmann and Ryan Corbett for Muhammad Rahim and two others. President Biden has a track record of bringing home Americans who are unjustly detained around the world, including in countries like Myanmar, China, Gaza, Haiti, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Venezuela, and West Africa. The White House also mentioned that all Americans who were detained in Afghanistan before the US military withdrawal have been brought back home.
Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani, the Guantanamo Bay detainee at the center of the negotiations, was described in a Senate intelligence committee report as an “al Qaeda facilitator.” He was captured in Pakistan in 2007, transferred to the CIA, and later sent to Guantanamo Bay after being subjected to tough interrogation methods. President Biden recently transferred 11 Guantanamo detainees to Oman as part of the administration’s efforts to reduce the prisoner population at the detention center and eventually close it down.
As President Biden’s term comes to an end, the administration continues to work tirelessly, often in collaboration with key allies, to negotiate for the release of Americans held hostage or unjustly detained abroad. The commitment to bringing Americans back home remains a top priority for the administration.
