Thursday, July 9, 2026

Afghanistan’s Taliban, U.S. exchange prisoners: Official

The identities of the American citizens released as part of the deal and the circumstances of their detention were not disclosed.

• January 21, 2025
Taliban men
Taliban men[Credit: Georgetown Journal of International Affairs]

An Afghan national has been released from a U.S. prison in exchange for the release of American nationals, Afghanistan’s Taliban Government announced on Tuesday.

Khan Mohammad was detained nearly two decades ago in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar and later sentenced to life imprisonment by a U.S. court.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry said this in a statement.

He had been serving his sentence in California.

The identities of the American citizens released as part of the deal and the circumstances of their detention were not disclosed.

The ministry added that the exchange followed extensive negotiations and expressed gratitude to Qatar for its mediation role in facilitating the agreement.

It came after the Taliban had confirmed ongoing talks with the U.S. regarding a potential prisoner exchange in recent weeks.

A Taliban spokesman stated that several Afghans were currently held in U.S. prisons.

American media outlets have also reported that then-President Joe Biden’s administration engaged in secret discussions with the Taliban to secure the release of three American citizens held in Afghanistan.

They were held, potentially in exchange for at least one Guantanamo Bay detainee, Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani.

The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001 following the 9/11 terror attacks, leading to a 20-year military presence in the country.

A peace agreement with the Taliban paved the way for the U.S. withdrawal, completed in August 2021, with the Taliban regaining control of the country.

(dpa/NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Climate

Africa

Climate change responsible for global extreme weather conditions not El Niño: Experts 

A member of 350.org’s Caribbean team, Amira Odeh Quiñones, described the climate crisis as a humanitarian emergency in the region.

AU logo and South African xenophobes

Africa

Xenophobia: Reps urge FG to suspend diplomatic relations with South Africa

The parliament urged the federal government to invoke available diplomatic and lawful international mechanisms to seek redress.

Uba Sani of Kaduna State (Credit: Twitter)

Heading 5

My govt’s prudent resource management, institutional reforms produced transformative outcomes: Gov. Sani

The governor also listed the successful utilisation of UBEC intervention funds and implementation of the World Bank-supported BESDA programme as drivers of the success recorded so far.

cyber fraud

Hot news Home top

Kenyan police nab 18 Chinese nationals in sting operations against cyber fraud syndicates

Police also found 39 Chinese passports and seven Malaysian passports in the ransacked apartments.

Court Gavel

States

58-year-old trader  remanded over alleged defilement of minor 

The Chief Magistrate U.E. Onochie, consequently, ordered that the defendant be remanded at the Awka Correctional facility.

Court room used to illustrate the story

States

Three Ekiti men in court over alleged possession of hemp 

The prosecutor asked the court for adjournment to enable him study the case file and assemble his witnesses.