– Taliban Takes Americans Hostage, Says Willing To Trade For Gitmo Prisoners:
For the first time in years, the Taliban says it has arrested and imprisoned American citizens, and is hoping to use them in a prisoner swap. The Taliban says that at least two US citizens are being held after violating Afghan laws, while the Washington Examiner has said three are in custody.
The detained individuals have been identified as George Glezmann, Mahmood Habibi, and Ryan Corbett – as confirmed also by a State Department statement. A Taliban government spokesperson announced that the “American nationals violated the country’s law, and discussion has been held with the US officials in this regard.”
And Taliban chief spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid recently told reporters in Kabul that “the topic of a prisoner release was discussed during his recent meeting with US officials in Doha, continuing a recurring theme in their negotiations.”
“Afghanistan’s conditions must be met. We have our citizens who are imprisoned in the US and Guantanamo,” Mujahid stated. “We should free our prisoners in exchange for them. Just as their prisoners are important to America, Afghans are equally important to us,” he added.
It as yet unclear what precise charges the men are being held on, but Afghan national media has alluded to the possibility of “espionage” – which would be a very serious accusation, possibly resulting in a capital case.
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