Qatar helps US secure release of American Amir Amiry from Afghanistan detention as part of prisoner exchange
An American citizen has been released by the Taliban after being imprisoned for almost a year.
Amir Amiry, 36, was released from an Afghan prison on Sunday just weeks after the US government reached a prisoner exchange deal through negotiations with Qatar and Afghanistan.
The prisoner exchange was in an effort to smooth over relations between the two countries.
The deputy spokesperson for the Taliban Foreign Ministry, Zia Ahmad Takal, did not say why Amiry was detained or where.
An official with knowledge of the release said Amiry had been in custody in Afghanistan since December 2024 and was finally on his way back to the U.S.
U.S. Special Envoy Adam Boehler told Fox News: 'Amir Amiry became a citizen by putting his life at risk fighting for our country and our troops.
'Today we repay the favor. God bless America and God bless the President.'
Officials reported that Qatari diplomats had worked closely with the US to ensure Amiry's health and wellbeing during his imprisonment.
Amir Amiry's (left) release was secured through negotiations made by the US, Qatar, and Afghanistan
Officials said that Amiry was on his way back to the US as of September 28. He was joined on the plane by Deputy Assistant to the U.S. President Sebastian Gorka (left), Qatari diplomats, and US Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler (right)
In a statement obtained by CNN, Qatari Minister of State Mohammed Al-Khulaifi said the country: 'Remains committed to advancing mediation efforts aimed at achieving peaceful solutions to conflicts and complex international issues.'
Amiry's release was a part of Qatar's security partnership with the U.S. which has secured the freedom of four other Americans from Taliban detention this year.
The energy-rich nation also helped in releasing a British couple who were imprisoned for months.
There are reportedly at least three other Americans currently in Afghan prisons. There is hope that this release will be the first of many.
Ahmad Habibi, whose brother has been held by the Taliban since August 2022 said his family is: 'Grateful to hear that another American has been freed from unjust Taliban captivity.'
He said: 'We are grateful that senior officials at the State Department and National Security Council have repeatedly assured us that any deal they do with the Taliban will be "all or nothing" and they have explicitly assured us that they will not leave my brother behind.
'The Biden Administration did nothing for us. We have faith in President Trump.'
Negotiations for Amiry's release had concluded weeks before Afghanistan released him
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio celebrated Amiry's release, saying it marked the administration´s determination to protect American nationals from wrongful detention abroad.
He wrote on X: 'Today we welcome home Amir Amiry, an American who was wrongfully detained in Afghanistan.
'I want to thank Qatar for helping secure his freedom.
'[The President] has made it clear we will not stop until every American unjustly detained abroad is back home.'
It remains unclear what the Taliban received, if anything, in exchange for freeing the American prisoner.
