An American was freed from Afghanistan on Thursday after more than two years in Taliban captivity in a deal brokered by Qatar.
George Glezmann, a Delta Air Lines mechanic, has left Kabul and is now on his way to be reunited with his wife, Aleksandra, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. U.S. officials traveled to Kabul to bring Glezmann home, an American official said.
The Trump administration was engaged with representatives of the Taliban to secure Glezmann’s release, according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the discussions, but he was not freed as part of a larger prisoner exchange.
A spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry released photos of Adam Boehler, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, and former U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad meeting with the Taliban.
“With a mandate to secure the release of unjustly detained Americans overseas, envoy Adam Boehler has been in close contact with his Qatari counterparts on this case,” the diplomat with knowledge of the release told NBC News. “Following weeks of negotiations, a breakthrough was made by the Qataris during recent meetings with the Taliban.”
In a statement, Rubio extended his appreciation to Qatar, which he said was “instrumental” in securing Glezmann.
Glezmann’s “release is a positive and constructive step,” Rubio said, noting the Trump administration’s commitment to securing the release of unjustly detained U.S. citizens.
“The Taliban government agreed to free him as a goodwill gesture to @POTUS and the American people,” Khalilzad said of Glezmann in a post on X.
It is unclear what the terms of the release are, although the diplomat who spoke to NBC News said Glezmann’s release was not a swap.
In a post on X, Afghanistan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry also said the move was a “goodwill gesture.”
According to a bill filed in the Senate calling for his release, Glezmann was in Afghanistan in December 2022 on a five-day trip “to explore the cultural landscape and rich history of the country” when he was arrested by Taliban authorities and held without charge.
Two Taliban officials in the intelligence department told NBC News that they had followed him for a few days and that when they were sure he was spying on their leaders and their activities, they decided to take him into custody. The officials declined to provide more details about what activities led them to believe he was a spy.
The Trump administration continues to call for the release of Afghan American Mahmoud Habibi and for all Americans detained in Afghanistan to be set free. Habibi is a civil aviation engineer who had worked for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in Afghanistan, and has been detained since August 2022.
In an official statement, the Taliban put the release in the context of relations with the United States and the rest of the world, saying the U.S. officials’ meeting with a delegation led by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was a “significant step in rebuilding diplomatic engagement.”
The hyperconservative Taliban government has been isolated diplomatically since it ousted U.S.-backed President Ashraf Ghani in August 2021, followed by the chaotic American withdrawal from the country, and it is eager for re-engagement and foreign investment.
“Continued discussions could pave the way for broader political and economic cooperation between the two countries,” the Taliban statement added.
Afghanistan is one of the world’s poorest countries, and the government has been severely criticized for its treatment of women, who are barred from appearing in public without a male family member and an all-covering burqa, speaking loudly or pursuing anything beyond a primary education, among other things.
Two other Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, were released from Afghanistan this year in a deal struck during the final days of the Biden administration in exchange for a member of the Taliban being held in U.S. custody.
