US in talks with Taliban for prisoner swap – WSJ

Biden administration is reportedly negotiating exchange of detained Americans for a prisoner in Gitmo allegedly linked to al-Qaeda

President Joe Biden’s administration has been negotiating since at least July to exchange detained Americans in Afghanistan for a Guantanamo Bay prisoner allegedly linked to Osama bin Laden, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

President Joe Biden’s administration is working to secure the release of three Americans – Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann, and Mahmood Habibi – who were seized in 2022, in exchange for Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani, according to the WSJ. 

The Taliban has countered by requesting the release of Rahim and two additional Afghan prisoners in exchange for Glezmann and Corbett. The militant group denies it is holding Habibi.

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National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan informed Congress on December 17 that Biden has yet to decide on the Taliban’s proposal, prompting frustration among the detainees’ families over slow progress.

Anna Corbett, wife of detainee Ryan Corbett, urged Biden to prioritize returning wrongfully detained Americans, adding that “he is running out of time to show these are more than empty words for families like mine that are not famous or well connected,” as cited by the publication.

The State Department labeled Glezmann and Corbett as wrongfully detained, enabling more resources for their release, while the FBI believes Habibi was taken by Afghan forces but hasn’t been designated as wrongfully detained.

A Senate Intelligence Committee report from 2014 identified Rahim as an “al-Qaeda facilitator,” stating that he was captured in Pakistan in June 2007 and transferred to CIA custody the following month. The report detailed that Rahim was held at a secret CIA “black site,” where he underwent interrogation techniques such as prolonged sleep deprivation, before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in March 2008.

Rahim, however, has consistently denied any links to al Qaeda, maintaining that he worked as a linguist in Afghanistan, translating Arabic and Pashto. His lawyer, James Connell, told the WSJ that the charges against Rahim are “largely exaggerated” and no substantial evidence has emerged in the 17 years since his detention. He referred to Rahim as “the last person” admitted into the CIA’s post-9/11 torture program.

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Connell also noted that neither Rahim nor his legal team had been informed by the Biden administration or the Taliban about ongoing negotiations. 

The exchange proposal is challenging for Biden, who has secured the release of over 70 American hostages worldwide during the past four years, the WSJ pointed out, as he faces potential criticism for handing over individuals considered national security threats. 

The Pentagon announced the transfer of 11 Yemeni prisoners to Oman on Monday, reducing the Guantanamo Bay detainee population to 15. Among those released were two alleged former bodyguards of Osama bin Laden, held for over two decades without formal charges.