Secret negotiations between U.S. officials and the Taliban over remaining American detainees have stalled, after the Taliban publicly tied any further releases to the fate of the last Afghan held at Guantánamo Bay, according to a report by The New York Times published on 26 January 2026.
The Times reported that Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid made the demand in an interview in Kandahar, saying the Taliban wanted two U.S. detainees freed “as soon as possible”, but only alongside clarity on their own prisoner. “We want these two American detainees to be released, and, at the same time, the fate of our detainee who is in Guantánamo should be made clear,” Mujahid told The Times. “Our prisoner should be released.”
The Afghan detainee is Muhammad Rahim, held at Guantánamo since 2008 and described by U.S. authorities as having links to Al Qaeda, the report said. The Times also reported that Rahim has never been charged while in U.S. custody.
U.S. officials have identified the two Americans the Taliban say they hold as Dennis Walter Coyle, an academic detained since January 2025, and Polynesis Jackson, a former U.S. Army soldier. The Trump administration has demanded a third U.S. citizen be included, Mahmood Habibi, whose family says he was detained in 2022, shortly after the killing of Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri in Kabul, The Times reported.
In Kabul, Afghanistan’s foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi denied holding Americans for leverage. “We support finding a solution to this issue as soon as possible,” he told The Times. “We never arrest someone to make deals with their country.”
A U.S. State Department spokesperson, quoted by The Times, said, “The Taliban should immediately release Dennis Coyle, Mahmood Habibi and all Americans detained in Afghanistan and end its practice of hostage diplomacy.”
The Times reported that at least five U.S. detainees have been released from Afghanistan in the past year, with the White House saying at least four were freed under President Trump’s second administration, and that none were part of prisoner swaps.
AnewZ contacted Taliban officials for comment on The New York Times report, but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has slowed, according to the latest data, as uncertainty over the waterway’s reopening kept most s...
The U.S. imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court's (ICC) President Tomoko Akane and a senior tri...
Apple has announced a major overhaul of its business terms for apps distributed in the European Union, introducing a ...
U.S. President Donald Trump says Washington is not seeking an extension of its memorandum of understanding with Iran, claiming the U.S. already controls the Strait of Hormuz through its naval blockade.
Iran has said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the U.S. fulfils the terms of an interim deal, including lifting the maritime blockade and sanctions and releasing Iran’s frozen assets.
Ukraine has targeted at least 20 Wildberries warehouses across Russia since 18 July, disrupting a major logistics network. Kyiv says the strikes aim to disrupt alleged military-linked supplies, while the attacks have caused billions of dollars in losses and wider economic pressure.
Russia said its air defences downed 180 drones over the Moscow region overnight, with 620 drones reportedly targeting the area, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing growing pressure as his approval ratings fall and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party gains support.
Alexey Chadayev has resigned as an adviser to Russia’s transport minister after Azerbaijan placed him and two other Russian citizens on an international wanted list over alleged calls for violence and terrorism, amid a widening diplomatic row between Baku and Moscow.
At least six Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, according to Palestinian health officials, as efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to advance a plan to end the war remain deadlocked.
Georgia’s newly elected Catholicos-Patriarch Shio III is set to visit Istanbul, with the upcoming trip discussed during a meeting with Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, a representative of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I.
Azerbaijan’s strategic rise is turning it from a transit state into a regional rule-setter, with the Middle Corridor giving Baku growing influence far beyond its size, analyst Ahmad Alili says.
Kyrgyzstan is seeking to boost fuel imports from China as it looks to diversify supplies and reduce the risks of its heavy reliance on Russia.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment