American citizen released by the Taliban after nine -month detention

An American citizen owned by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nine months has been released following negotiations led by Qatari mediators, according to officials.

The man, identified as Amir Amary, is the fifth American to be released from detention in Afghanistan this year. He was on the way back to the United States on Sunday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Qatar for his “tireless diplomatic efforts”, who, according to him, were crucial to the liberation of Amary.

The reason for Mr. Amary’s detention is not clear. Rubio said he was “wrongly detained”.

The Secretary of State added that more American citizens remain “unfairly detained” in Afghanistan and that the Trump administration worked on the guarantee of their release.

The Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that he had facilitated the release of Amary and that he was on his way to Doha before going to the United States.

Qatar began to negotiate the release of Mr. Amary in March – first organizing a meeting between Mr. Amary and the sending in American hostage Adam Boehler, sources told CBS News, the American partner of the BBC.

A breakthrough in the negotiations has been reached this weekend, sources told CBS, which led to the release of Mr. Amary.

This comes after two American citizens were released in an exchange of prisoners between the United States and the Taliban in January. One of the detainees, Ryan Corbett, was removed in 2022 during a work trip.

The United States has released Khan Mohammad, a Taliban figure who was imprisoned for life in California for drug trafficking and accusations of terrorism, in exchange, reported the Associated Press.

Two other Americans were released later in March. Among them, George Glezmann, who was detained during a tourist visit to Afghanistan in 2022.

A British couple, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, was released earlier this month, also by Qatari mediation. They have been living in Afghanistan for almost two decades.