2 Americans released in exchange for Taliban prisoner

Two Americans have been freed in a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Afghanistan’s Taliban in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California, officials said Tuesday.

The family of Ryan Corbett, one American freed by the Taliban in the deal, told Fox News that he is finally on his way back home to the U.S. after being detained for more than two years ago while on a business trip.

“Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,” a statement from Corbett’s family said. 

Corbett’s family thanked both President Trump and former President Biden, along with National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and other current and former government officials.

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Fox News is working to confirm the identity of the second American freed in the deal.

Corbett was abducted Aug. 10, 2022, after returning to Afghanistan, where he and his family lived during the collapse of the U.S.-backed government a year prior. He arrived in Afghanistan on a valid 12-month visa to pay and train staff, as part of a business venture he led aimed at promoting Afghanistan’s private sector through consulting services and lending.

Corbett’s family also praised the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar, which hosted negotiations between the U.S. and the Taliban over the years, “for their vital role in facilitating Ryan’s release, and for their visits to Ryan as the United States’ Protecting Power in Afghanistan.”

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The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul confirmed the swap, saying two unidentified U.S. citizens had been exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment in 2008 on drug trafficking and terrorism charges. He was being held in California.

Mohammed was detained on the battlefield in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. The Justice Department at the time referred to Mohammed as “a violent jihadist and narcotics trafficker” who “sought to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets.” He was the first person to be convicted on U.S. narco-terrorism laws.

The deal comes less than a day after President Trump was sworn in as commander in chief, succeeding former President Biden, who oversaw the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

The Taliban called the exchange the result of “long and fruitful negotiations” with the U.S. and said it 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,” it said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.