U.S. Presses for Release of Americans Held in Afghanistan

U.S. officials made a new offer to the Taliban over the weekend to try to secure the release of Americans held in Afghanistan, according to people familiar with the matter.

American officials declined to discuss the negotiations or the offer. But people briefed on the conversations said the White House had been working on a deal to get the Americans back in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, an Afghan who has been held at Guantánamo Bay since 2008.

The U.S. government has said Mr. Rahim was a senior aide in Al Qaeda, but others have cast doubt on his role in the organization, suggesting that he was a courier and a translator and would not pose a threat to the United States if he were released.

The Taliban have acknowledged holding two Americans. One of them, George Glezmann, a former airline mechanic, was touring Afghanistan when he was taken prisoner in December 2022. The other, Ryan Corbett, who had long lived in Afghanistan with his family before the fall of the U.S.-backed government, was on a business trip when he was seized in August 2022.

The Taliban have refused to say whether they are holding a third American whose return is also sought by the U.S. government. That person, Mahmood Habibi, a naturalized American, was taken captive soon after the U.S. strike in Afghanistan in 2022 that killed Ayman al-Zawahri, the leader of Al Qaeda.

Mr. Habibi’s family has said that he was arrested with 30 other people who all worked for the same American firm, Asia Consultancy Group, on suspicion that the company was involved in the U.S. drone strike that killed the Qaeda leader. U.S. officials would not discuss whether Mr. Habibi had a role in the strike, nor is his condition known.