Two Americans were released in a prisoner exchange between the United States and the Taliban in Afghanistan in exchange for a Taliban leader who was sentenced to life in prison in California on drug trafficking charges, officials announced Tuesday. 

The agreement was made as returning President Donald Trump took over from outgoing President Joe Biden, who led the tumultuous US pullout from Afghanistan in 2021. The Taliban hailed the exchange as a step toward normalising US-Afghan relations, but given that the majority of nations still do not acknowledge the militants' control, that is probably still a long way off. The exchange was confirmed by the Taliban's Foreign Ministry in Kabul, which stated that Khan Mohammed, who was given two life sentences in 2008, had been exchanged for two unnamed US individuals.

The family of Ryan Corbett, an American who was held by the Taliban, confirmed in a statement that he has been released. Corbett had been living in Afghanistan with his family when the US-backed government collapsed in 2021. He was kidnapped by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip. “Our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan's life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,” the family's statement said. They expressed gratitude to Biden, Trump, and several government officials for their efforts to free him. The family of Corbett also commended Qatar, a country in the Middle East, for their visits to Ryan as the US Protecting Power in Afghanistan and for playing a crucial part in Ryan's release.

Qatar, a wealthy country known for its energy resources, had hosted negotiations between the US and the Taliban over the years but did not respond right away to requests for comment. Before President Biden left office, his administration was working on a deal to free Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

In December 2022, while passing through the nation, “Glezmann, an Atlanta-based aeroplane mechanic, was captured by the Taliban's intelligence services. In 2022, Habibi, an Afghan American businessman, also vanished. He was a contractor for a telecom company in Kabul. Habibi has not been acknowledged by the Taliban. It was unclear at first whether either of the two men had been released. Officials in Washington did not respond to requests for comment early Tuesday, the day after Trump's inauguration.

The Taliban described the exchange as the outcome of lengthy and successful talks with the US, calling it a good example of resolving issues through dialogue. “The Islamic Emirate looks positively at the actions of the United States of America that help the normalisation and development of relations between the two countries,” it said.

The Taliban has been working to get recognition, partly to get out of the economic quagmire that its rule has created. Tens of thousands of highly qualified Afghans left the country with their money, while billions of foreign monies were frozen.