Taliban released an American citizen during talks in Kabul with a US delegation led by Adam Boehler, President Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs, according to Taliban Foreign Ministry.

The freed man was identified as Amir Amiri. Reuters reported that Amiri was detained in Afghanistan since December 2024.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said the release came as the delegation held its third visit to Kabul since the Taliban’s return to power. Former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who had joined earlier visits, was not part of this trip.

Muttaqi said the Taliban “do not view foreign nationals from a political perspective” and believe such issues can be resolved diplomatically.

He described the release as a positive step toward improving relations and thanked Qatar for playing a “constructive” role in facilitating prisoner exchanges between the Taliban and the United States.

Boehler welcomed the move, calling it “a positive moment.”

He said previous rounds of talks with the Taliban had been constructive and expressed hope that negotiations on other outstanding issues would continue.

The US State Department also praised the release, saying it reflected the Trump administration’s determination to secure the return of Americans detained abroad.

“Today, thanks to President Trump’s leadership and commitment to the American people, the United States welcomes home US citizen Amir Amiry who was wrongfully detained in Afghanistan,” the State Department said in a statement. “We express our sincere gratitude to Qatar, whose strong partnership and tireless diplomatic efforts were vital to securing his release.”

The statement added that while Amiry’s return marked an important step, “additional Americans remain unjustly detained in Afghanistan,” and President Trump “will not rest until all our captive citizens are back home.”

Previous visits and unresolved cases

Sunday’s visit was the third trip to Kabul by a US delegation in the past four years. On Sept. 13, the same group held one-day talks with Muttaqi and Taliban deputy prime minister for economic affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar. At that time, the primary focus was the case of Mahmood Shah Habibi, an American citizen missing in Afghanistan. The US Justice Department has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information on his whereabouts.

In the past four years, at least five Americans have been freed by the Taliban in exchange for two Taliban members held in US prisons. Among them was Bashir Noorzai, released in exchange for American Mark Frerichs, and Khan Mohammad, freed in return for Ryan Corbett and William McCanti.

In April 2025, the Taliban also freed American citizen George Golzman, calling it a “symbolic act and a gesture of goodwill.”