A prisoner swap between the US and Afghanistan’s Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges.
The Associated Press reported, quoting officials as saying on Tuesday that the deal was brokered by Qatar.
“An Afghan fighter Khan Mohammad imprisoned in America has been released in exchange for American citizens and returned to the country,” the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Mohammad had been serving a life sentence in the state of California after being arrested "almost two decades ago" in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.
The foreign ministry in Kabul did not name the two US citizens, but said the exchange was the result of “long and fruitful negotiations” with the US.
The announcement comes the day after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who during his first term in office presided over a deal with the Taliban that paved the way for the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and their return to power.
After Trump's election win in November, the Taliban government had said it hoped for a "new chapter" in relations with the United States.
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.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
