The Taliban released another U.S. citizen from custody in Afghanistan on Sunday, as the internationally ostracized regime seeks to normalize relations with Washington.
Amir Amiry had been held in Afghanistan since December. It is unclear why he was there and why he was detained.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Amiry’s release, saying it reflected the Trump administration’s determination to protect Americans from wrongful detention abroad.
“We express our sincere gratitude to Qatar, whose strong partnership and tireless diplomatic efforts were vital to securing his release,” he said in a statement Sunday.
The Afghan government also expressed thanks to Qatar, the Gulf state that was also instrumental in securing the release this month of a British couple whom the Taliban had held for more than seven months.
Amiry’s release came as the Trump administration’s hostage envoy, Adam Boehler, met in Kabul on Sunday with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi for the second time this month.
Muttaqi told Boehler that the United States and Afghanistan must work together to resolve issues related to peace and security, Hafiz Takal, director general of the Afghan Foreign Affairs Ministry, told NBC News.
Four other Americans have been released from Taliban detention this year: Ryan Corbett and William McKenty in January and George Glezmann and Faye Hall in separate releases in March.
The U.S. government is still seeking the release of other Americans considered unjustly detained in Afghanistan, including Mahmood Habibi, who worked for an American consulting group and was arrested in August 2022. The Taliban have not confirmed whether Habibi is in custody.
“We have faith in President Trump,” Habibi’s brother, Ahmad Habibi, said Sunday in a post on X welcoming Amiry’s release.
Trump signed an executive order this month that would enable the United States to designate nations as state sponsors of wrongful detention, putting them at risk of sanctions. According to the nonprofit Foley Foundation, at least 54 Americans were being held hostage or wrongfully detained in 17 countries around the world last year, including Iran, China, Russia, North Korea and Venezuela.
It is not clear what, if anything, the United States is providing in exchange for the release of its nationals by the Taliban, who have been diplomatically isolated since they returned to power in 2021. The hard-line Islamist regime has been especially criticized for its treatment of women, and it had not been recognized by any foreign government until Russia became the first in July.
Afghanistan, a country of more than 40 million people, has been battered by a series of economic and humanitarian crises, including a 6.0-magnitude earthquake last month that killed more than 2,000 people, and it is seeking investment in addition to diplomatic recognition.
Trump also said this month that he wanted the United States to retake Bagram Air Base, a sprawling facility north of Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, that for almost 20 years was a crucial hub in the war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. He has continued to push for it even after the Taliban rejected the idea, saying “bad things” will happen unless the base is returned to U.S. control.
