RASC News Agency: U.S. President Joe Biden, during a phone call with the families of three Americans detained by the Taliban, confirmed that no agreement has been reached regarding their release. CBS News reported on Monday, January 13, that the detainees are identified as Ryan Corbett, George Glezman, and Mahmoud Habibi. The U.S. government has officially declared that these individuals are being unlawfully held by the Taliban.
Mahmoud Habibi, an Afghan-American citizen, has been missing since 2022. The FBI suspects he was abducted by the Taliban, though the group denies having him in custody. President Biden has firmly stated that he will not entertain the Taliban’s request for the release of Mohammad Rahim al-Afghani, a Guantanamo Bay detainee, until Habibi is freed. Al-Afghani, a high-ranking Taliban operative, was captured by the CIA in Pakistan in 2007.
The families of the detained Americans have expressed frustration with Biden’s position, urging swift action to secure their loved ones’ freedom. Reports indicate that recent negotiations between U.S. officials and the Taliban in Doha have ended without progress, with no agreements reached on prisoner exchanges.
It is important to note that the Taliban have historically funded their operations through intelligence networks, narcotics trafficking, kidnapping foreign nationals, and extorting local businesses. Since their return to power in Afghanistan, incidents of abduction targeting both foreign nationals and Afghanistani citizens have escalated. The Taliban have reportedly kidnapped dozens of individuals, with some cases resulting in the victims’ deaths while in captivity.
