The Biden administration has reportedly been negotiating with the Taliban to exchange three Americans detained in Afghanistan for a Guantanamo Bay prisoner who was allegedly a close associate of Osama bin Laden.
The talks, which have been ongoing since at least July last year, involve the exchange of alleged al Qaeda collaborator Muhammad Rahim al Afghani for US citizens George Glezmann, Ryan Corbett and Mahmoud Habibi, who were detained in Afghanistan in 2022, according The Wall Street Journal.
After the White House proposed that trade in November, the Taliban made a counteroffer, asking for Rahim and two others in exchange for Glezmann and Corbett, the newspaper reported.
Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee told the newspaper that they were later informed by national security adviser Jake Sullivan during a classified session on December 17, 2024, that Biden was still mulling over the offer. An aide added that during the meeting, the panel’s chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, expressed concern that the Taliban’s counteroffer would not be a good deal for the United States.
“The safety of Americans abroad is a top priority of the Biden-Harris Administration, and we are working around the clock to ensure the safe return of George, Ryan and Mahmoud,” spokesman Sean Savett recently told The Wall. of the National Security Council. Street diary.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
