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3w ago

Taliban Claim Prisoner-Swap Deal After Kabul Talks With U.S. Envoys

U.S. officials have not confirmed a deal, characterizing the visit as exploratory.

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In this photo released by the Taliban Foreign Ministry Press Service, Amir Khan Muttaqi, left, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban government, meets with Adam Boehler, the U.S. president's special envoy for Detainee Affairs, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025.
Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attends the Tehran International Conference on Palestine, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Tehran, Iran December 23, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
Adam Boehler, the CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

Overview

  • Taliban statements say Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler and Zalmay Khalilzad in Kabul and that both sides would exchange prisoners.
  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Boehler traveled to Kabul to explore options, noting any exchange would require a presidential decision.
  • Taliban readouts said discussions also covered potential investment and broader bilateral ties, with both sides signaling plans to continue talks.
  • Mahmood Habibi remains a focal U.S. case with a $5 million reward for information, while Taliban authorities deny holding him after his 2022 disappearance.
  • This follows earlier 2025 releases of Americans Ryan Corbett, William McKenty, and George Glezmann, as Russia remains the only country to formally recognize the Taliban government.