During Trump’s first term, the Americans reached a peace deal with the Taliban that paved the way for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021.
Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban movement confirmed a prisoner swap with the United States on Tuesday. The Taliban released two detained US citizens in exchange for one of its members, who was serving a life sentence in a US prison, under a deal brokered by Qatar.
According to CNN, the exchange, which had been prepared for years, took place in the last hours of former US President Joe Biden’s tenure in office. However, there was an unexpected delay and when Americans Ryan Corbett and William McKenty were on their way home early Tuesday morning, Donald Trump was already officially the president of the USA.
“New Chapter”
The pair of Americans were exchanged by the Taliban for the “fighter” Khan Mohammed, who was convicted in the US of drug trafficking in 2008. He was transferred from a prison in California to Doha, Qatar, where the local government mediated several rounds of negotiations between the US and the Taliban.
During Trump’s first term, a peace deal was reached with the Taliban that paved the way for the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2021.
After Trump’s election victory in November, the Taliban expressed hope for a “new chapter” in relations with the US. On Tuesday, the Afghan movement described the prisoner exchange agreement as “a good example of solving problems through dialogue” and expressed special thanks to Qatar for its effective role.
“The Islamic Emirate positively perceives the actions of the United States of America, which help the normalization and development of relations between the two countries,” the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs added in a statement.
