Trump Secures Release Of American Citizen Held By Taliban

The Trump administration announced Sunday it had successfully secured the release of Amir Amiry, an American wrongfully held by the Taliban in Afghanistan — a move underscoring President Donald Trump’s ongoing push to bring home every U.S. citizen detained abroad.

Officials credited Qatar with helping facilitate the release alongside the State Department’s Bureau for Hostage Affairs and the National Security Council’s counterterrorism directorate.

“While this marks an important step forward, additional Americans remain unjustly detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will not rest until all our captive citizens are back home,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a statement.

Rubio, who also serves as National Security Advisor, said the release showed “a significant step by the administration in Kabul” to advance efforts to free other Americans unjustly held.

Amiry was reportedly detained by the Taliban in December 2024, though details surrounding his imprisonment remain limited.

The development highlights a rare but meaningful diplomatic opening between the United States and the Taliban, who took control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the Biden administration’s chaotic U.S. troop withdrawal.

The Trump White House has not released specifics about what, if anything, the U.S. provided in exchange for Amiry’s freedom — but officials stressed the President’s priority is the safe return of all Americans.

According to CNN, at least three Americans remain detained in Afghanistan, including Paul Overby, believed to be deceased.

For families of those still missing, the breakthrough offers hope. Ahmad Habibi, brother of Mahmood Habibi — a U.S. citizen held by the Taliban for more than three years — told the Associated Press his family was “grateful” to see progress.

“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,” Ahmad Habibi said.

Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan-American business owner and Kabul-based contractor, disappeared in 2022. His family and the FBI believe the Taliban is holding him, though the group has denied it.

President Trump has prioritized returning Americans detained overseas and recently signed an executive order to increase pressure on regimes and groups who wrongfully detain U.S. citizens. The order expands the administration’s ability to label governments and actors as “state sponsors of wrongful detention,” triggering sanctions and other consequences.

The release of Amiry underscores the Trump administration’s focus on protecting American lives abroad and standing up to hostile regimes — with clear signals that the White House won’t stop until every detained U.S. citizen comes home.