By Andrew Mills and Mohammad Yunus Yawar
DOHA/KABUL (Reuters) -The Taliban on Thursday freed an American citizen detained in Afghanistan for over two years following direct talks between U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler and Taliban officials in Kabul, a source briefed on the release told Reuters.
George Glezmann, who was detained in 2022 while visiting Kabul as a tourist, left Afghanistan aboard a Qatari aircraft on Thursday evening bound for Qatar, the source said. Glezmann and Boehler are expected to later travel onward to the United States.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement on Thursday confirming Glezmann’s release.
Thursday’s meeting in Kabul marked the highest-level direct talks between the United States and the Taliban since President Donald Trump came to power in January.
Boehler met with the Taliban administration’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, according to a statement by the Afghan foreign ministry.
“During this meeting, discussions were held on Afghanistan-U.S. bilateral relations, the release of prisoners, and the provision of consular services to Afghans in the United States,” the statement said.
It added that the meeting was also attended by former U.S. special representative to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
Qatar, a Gulf Arab state which represents U.S. diplomatic interests in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, said in a statement posted on X that it had facilitated Glezmann’s release.
The source said that Qatar coordinated with Boehler to negotiate with the Taliban authorities.
“Following weeks of negotiations, a breakthrough was made by the Qataris during recent meetings with the Taliban,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
TALIBAN ‘GOODWILL GESTURE’
In a statement, the Taliban called Glezmann’s release a “goodwill gesture” reflecting its willingness to engage with the United States “on the basis of mutual respect and interests.”
The source said that the release was not part of a deal to free any Afghan detainees held by the U.S. in exchange.
The U.S. in January freed an Afghan convicted by an American court on charges of drug smuggling and terrorism in exchange for two U.S. citizens held in Afghanistan.
Qatari officials were also involved in negotiations for that deal, which began during the administration of former U.S. president Joe Biden and led to the release of two Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty.
A third American citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is thought to remain in custody in Afghanistan.
BOEHLER’S HIGH LEVEL DIPLOMACY
Glezmann was the second high-profile release of a U.S. citizen held overseas secured amid diplomacy by Boehler.
Boehler was involved in efforts that led to the release of American school teacher Marc Fogel from Russia last month.
In addition, Boehler has held direct talks with Palestinian militant group Hamas in an effort to secure the release of remaining hostages held in Gaza. He also travelled to Iraq last month to push for the release of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, a student at Princeton University.
Glezmann, a mechanic for Delta Airlines in Atlanta, was visiting Kabul as a tourist when he was detained by the Taliban in December 2022, according to the Foley Foundation, which monitors cases of Americans detained overseas.
The foundation said Glezmann had been in sporadic telephone contact with his wife since he was detained, and that he had health conditions that deteriorated while in detention.
(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul and Andrew Mills in Doha; additional reporting by Steve Holland in Washington; writing by Andrew Mills and Charlotte Greenfield; editing by Alex Richardson, Mark Heinrich, Don Durfee and Marguerita Choy)
