Ryan Corbett, an American held in Afghanistan since 2022, has been released from Taliban custody in a prisoner exchange, according to his family.
The Taliban’s foreign ministry confirmed the exchange in a statement, saying Corbett and another American were exchanged for Khan Mohammad.
Mohammad was sentenced to life in prison in 2008, two years after he was arrested near Jalalabad in Afghanistan’s Nangahar province, according to a 2008 Justice Department statement. He was extradited to the US and convicted of narco-terrorism, the statement said.
“A violent jihadist and drug trafficker, Khan Mohammed attempted to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets,” Acting Chief Criminal District Attorney Matthew Friedrich said in a statement. “Today’s life sentences are commensurate with the seriousness of the crimes for which they were convicted.”
The Corbett family credited the Trump and Biden administrations with the prisoner exchange. Corbett’s wife had a call with the former president Joe Biden recently and also met with members of the Trump administration.
“The countless hours of negotiation, constant support and determination shown by all involved have not gone unnoticed, and we will forever hold that kindness in our hearts,” the Corbett family said in a statement.
At least two other Americans are still being held in Afghanistan.
US officials say the Biden administration considered releasing at least one prisoner Guantanamo Bay detention facility as part of the exchange with the Taliban, but ultimately decided it would be too complicated.
