Taliban releases US detainee in Trump administration deal

Taliban, on Thursday, March 20, 2025, released a U.S. citizen who was kidnapped by the Taliban, after spending two years in captivity.

According to the U.S. Department of State, George Glezmann, was abducted while visiting Afghanistan as a tourist in December 2022.

His release on Thursday, marked the third time a U.S. detainee has been freed by the Taliban since January.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Glezmann’s release as a “positive and constructive step.”

He thanked Qatar for playing a crucial role in securing his freedom.

In a statement, Rubio said,

“After two and a half years of captivity in Afghanistan, George Glezmann, a Delta Airlines mechanic, is on his way to reunite with his wife, Aleksandra,”  .

Glezmann joins other Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, who were freed from Afghanistan on the night of President Trump’s inauguration and returned home.

However, Corbett and McKenty’s release was part of a deal negotiated by the Biden administration, also mediated by Qatar.

The Taliban has framed the release of U.S. detainees as part of its broader effort to achieve global “normalization.”

Although the group remains an international pariah after its swift takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.

No country has officially recognized the Taliban’s government, although some nations continue to maintain diplomatic missions in the country.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which took place under the Biden administration, followed a deal reached by President Trump in 2020.

The deal was to end the war and withdraw U.S. troops.

This agreement, which did not include the Western-backed Afghan government, played a role in the chaotic exit in 2021.

This resulted in the fall of the Afghan government.

A source disclosed that unlike previous releases negotiated by the Biden administration, Glezmann’s release did not involve a prisoner swap with the U.S.

The source who is familiar with the matter described the release as a goodwill gesture by the Taliban.

As Trump campaigned for a second term in 2024, he criticized the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal.

He criticized especially the deadly bomb attack at Kabul’s airport that killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. soldiers.

While Trump has claimed the withdrawal would have been more orderly under his leadership, his administration had suspended refugee and foreign aid programs for Afghans.

This suspension still left many in dangerous conditions in Afghanistan and refugee camps, particularly in neighboring Pakistan.

Advocacy groups have urged Trump to reverse course and assist the Afghan refugees who were approved to resettle in the U.S.

But these refugees were reportedly stranded after the suspension of the refugee program in January 2021.

Rubio’s statement on Thursday also noted that other U.S. citizens, including Afghan-American businessman Mahmood Habibi, are still being held by the Taliban.

The Taliban, however, denies holding Habibi.

Rubio affirmed that President Trump would continue his efforts to secure the release of all U.S. citizens unjustly detained around the world.