The US is negotiating with the Taliban to exchange Americans in Afghanistan for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay

The Biden administration is reportedly negotiating with the Taliban to exchange three Americans held in Afghanistan for an inmate at Guantanamo Bay, an alleged close associate of Osama bin Laden.

Negotiations, which have been going on since at least July of last year, involve the replacement of Mohammed Rahim al-Afghani, who is believed to be a senior al-Qaeda aide, in 2022 with American citizens George Glazmann, Ryan Corbett and Mahmoud Habibi, who are being held in Afghanistan. The Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper reports that after the White House offered this exchange in November, the Taliban counter-offered, asking for Rahim and two others in exchange for Glazemann and Corbett.

Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee told the newspaper that Biden was later informed by national security adviser Jake Sullivan during a closed-door meeting on December 17, 2024, that Biden was still discussing the proposal. One participant added that during the meeting, the panel’s chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, expressed concern that the Taliban’s counteroffer was not a good deal for the United States.

“The safety and security of Americans abroad is one of the top priorities of the Biden-Harris Administration, and we are working around the clock to ensure the safe return of George, Ryan and Mahmoud,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett recently told The Wall Street Journal.

This is an evolving story. Please check for updates.