Biden spoke with families of Americans held in Afghanistan, per the White House

U.S. President Joe Biden engaged in a conversation on Sunday with the families of three Americans who have been detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban since 2022, reaffirming his dedication to securing the release of Americans unjustly held abroad, according to the White House.

The Biden administration has been in negotiations with the Taliban since at least July regarding a proposal to exchange the three Americans—Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann, and Mahmood Habibi—for Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani, a prominent detainee at Guantanamo Bay, as reported by Reuters last week, citing an informed source.

Efforts to facilitate the release of the detained Americans are ongoing, as confirmed by a second source familiar with the situation on Sunday. Corbett and Habibi were apprehended in separate incidents in August 2022, following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul amid the tumultuous U.S. troop withdrawal. Glezmann was detained later that year while traveling as a tourist.

Ahmad Habibi, the brother of Mahmood Habibi, who participated in the call on Sunday, expressed appreciation for the dialogue with Biden.

“President Biden made it clear that he would not proceed with the exchange for Rahim unless the Taliban releases my brother,” he stated. “He assured us that he would not abandon him. My family is extremely thankful for his commitment to my brother’s cause.” The Taliban, which claims not to be holding Habibi, has countered the U.S. proposal by suggesting an exchange involving Glezmann and Corbett for Rahim and two other individuals, according to one of the sources cited by Reuters last week.

The White House highlighted that President Biden has successfully secured the release of over 75 Americans who were unjustly detained in various countries, including Myanmar, China, Gaza, Haiti, Iran, Russia, Rwanda, Venezuela, and West Africa. Additionally, his administration ensured the return of all Americans held in Afghanistan prior to the U.S. military’s withdrawal.

The statement emphasized that “President Biden and his team have tirelessly collaborated, often alongside key allies, to negotiate the release of Americans who are either hostages or unjustly detained abroad, facilitating their reunion with their families. This commitment will persist throughout the remainder of his term.”

A report from the Senate intelligence committee regarding the agency’s enhanced interrogation program identified Rahim as an “al Qaeda facilitator.” It noted that he was apprehended in Pakistan in June 2007 and subsequently “rendered” to the CIA the following month. He was held at a covert CIA “black site,” where he endured harsh interrogation techniques, including severe sleep deprivation, before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in March 2008.

Last week, President Biden facilitated the transfer of 11 detainees from Guantanamo to Oman, effectively halving the prisoner population at the detention facility in Cuba as part of his administration’s ongoing efforts to close the site ahead of his departure from office on January 20.