Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – In an emotional moment signaling his unwavering commitment, President Joe Biden has assured the families of three Americans held by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2022 that he will “do everything possible” to bring them home. The pledge comes as Biden enters the final days of his presidency, set to conclude on January 20.
The White House disclosed that the president spoke on January 12 with the families of Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann, and Mahmood Habibi, who have been detained under contentious circumstances. “The president and the families discussed the U.S. government’s continuing efforts to reunite these three Americans with their loved ones. The president emphasized his administration’s commitment to bringing home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained overseas,” the statement read.
Reuters recently reported that Biden’s administration has been negotiating with the Taliban since at least July, proposing a deal to release the three Americans in exchange for Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani, a high-profile detainee at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Afghani, detained since 2008, is suspected of being an associate of Osama bin Laden, the late founder of Al-Qaeda.
The discussions are fraught with complexity. Family members of the detained Americans revealed that no agreement has been reached. Ahmad Habibi, brother of Mahmood Habibi, praised Biden’s resolve. “President Biden was very clear in telling us that he would not trade Rahim if the Taliban do not let my brother go,” he told Reuters. “He said he would not leave him behind. My family is very grateful that he is standing up for my brother.”
Sources indicate that the Taliban has countered with a proposal to exchange Glezmann and Corbett for Rahim and two additional detainees, though no official acknowledgment of Habibi’s detention has been made by the group.
Ryan Corbett, 40, an aid worker, and Mahmood Habibi, 37, former head of the Afghan Aviation Authority, were detained separately in August 2022, a year after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. George Glezmann, a 66-year-old tourist, was detained later that year.
The Biden administration’s efforts to secure their release intersect with its broader push to close Guantanamo Bay. Last week, Biden ordered the transfer of 11 detainees to Oman, reducing the facility’s population to 15. Opened by President George W. Bush in 2002 following the September 11 attacks, the detention center once held 680 prisoners at its peak in 2003. Critics have long decried its use, citing human rights abuses and legal controversies.
Rahim’s history underscores the high stakes of these negotiations. Described in a U.S. Senate report as an “Al-Qaeda facilitator,” he was arrested in Pakistan in 2007 and transferred to Guantanamo Bay the following year.
As Biden’s presidency winds down, his administration’s resolve to end wrongful detentions abroad remains steadfast. The families of Corbett, Glezmann, and Habibi wait anxiously, buoyed by Biden’s promise to exhaust every avenue to secure their return.
