Qatar Mediates Release of Fifth US Citizen from Taliban Custody
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities released a United States national on September 28, following a visit by Washington’s hostage envoy Adam Boehler, the US government confirmed.
The detainee, identified as Amir Amiri, had been held since December 2024. His release was brokered by Qatar and he was en route to Doha on Sunday evening.
Boehler’s visit came a week after US President Donald Trump demanded that the Taliban return control of Bagram air base to American forces, warning that «bad things» would happen to Afghanistan if it refused.
Fifth Release This Year
Amiri is the fifth US citizen freed by the Taliban in 2025 through Qatari mediation. A British couple, who had been detained for eight months, were also among those released earlier this year.
«I want to thank Qatar for helping secure his freedom,» US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X. «POTUS has made it clear we will not stop until every American unjustly detained abroad is back home.»
Relatives of others still in detention voiced frustration. Mahmood Habibi, brother of former Afghan aviation chief Ahmad Habibi who remains in custody, said he had been assured by the administration that any agreement with the Taliban would include his brother.
«The Biden Administration did nothing for us. We have faith in President Trump,» he said.
The Taliban deny detaining Ahmad Habibi.
Kursiv also reports that the U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to the Taliban after the group rejected Washington’s demand to hand over control of Afghanistan’s Bagram Airbase.
