Two Americans held by Afghanistan's ruling Taliban regime have been exchanged to an Afghan imprisoned in the United States on drug trafficking and terrorism charges.
"An Afghan fighter Khan Mohammad imprisoned in America has been released in exchange for unidentified American citizens and returned to the country," the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement.
An agreement was reached following “extensive & productive negotiations between the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and the United States of America…, we are grateful to the fraternal State of Qatar for its effective role in this regard,” – noted ministry’s post on platform X. The deal – reportedly the culmination of two years of negotiations.
The ministry said Mohammad who had been serving a life sentence in the state of California after being arrested nearly two decades ago in Nangarhar & later sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment in 2008.
US media named the Americans as William McKenty and Ryan Corbett, the latter in Taliban custody since 2022.
The Taliban government on Tuesday called the exchange "a good example of resolving issues through dialogue, expressing special gratitude for the effective role of the brotherly country of Qatar in this regard".
"The Islamic Emirate views positively those actions of the United States that contribute to the normalisation and expansion of relations between the two countries," it added, using the Taliban authorities' name for their government.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday to discuss the progress made by U.S. President Donald Trump in ceasefire talks with Russia, with both leaders emphasising the importance of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Fresh hostilities erupted in the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Wednesday, with reported air strikes causing infrastructure damage and evacuations despite a recently agreed partial ceasefire.
Putin has paused energy facility strikes, but a full ceasefire remains elusive. The move signals ongoing tensions, with discussions about a wider peace deal set to begin, leaving questions about Ukraine’s role in the negotiations.
U.S. President Donald Trump has released a trove of documents related to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, fulfilling a campaign promise to provide greater transparency on the historic event.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that military aid to Ukraine was not discussed during his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite the Kremlin stating that Putin had called for an end to U.S. support for Kyiv.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday to discuss the progress made by U.S. President Donald Trump in ceasefire talks with Russia, with both leaders emphasising the importance of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Fresh hostilities erupted in the Russia-Ukraine conflict on Wednesday, with reported air strikes causing infrastructure damage and evacuations despite a recently agreed partial ceasefire.
Putin has paused energy facility strikes, but a full ceasefire remains elusive. The move signals ongoing tensions, with discussions about a wider peace deal set to begin, leaving questions about Ukraine’s role in the negotiations.
U.S. President Donald Trump has released a trove of documents related to the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy, fulfilling a campaign promise to provide greater transparency on the historic event.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that military aid to Ukraine was not discussed during his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite the Kremlin stating that Putin had called for an end to U.S. support for Kyiv.
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