WASHINGTON: A prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan’s Taliban freed two Americans in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges, officials said Tuesday.
The two Americans freed in the swap, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, was brokered before President Joe Biden left office Monday, according to a Trump administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly and requested anonymity.
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul said the two US citizens had been exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two terms of life imprisonment in 2008.
Biden, who oversaw the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, on Monday handed power to President Donald Trump. The Taliban praised the swap as a step toward the “normalization” of ties between the US and Afghanistan, but that likely remains a tall order as most countries in the world still don’t recognize their rule and another two Americans are believed held.
The Trump White House cheered the release and thanked Qatar for its assistance facilitating the deal, but also pressed the Taliban to free other Americans held in Afghanistan.
“The Trump Administration will continue to demand the release of all Americans held by the Taliban, especially in light of the billions of dollars in US aid they’ve received in recent years,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said in a statement.
US, Taliban and Qatar all involved in the swap
Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the 2021 collapse of the US-backed government, was detained 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 thanked both Trump and Biden, as well as many government officials, for their efforts in freeing him.
Corbett’s family also praised the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar “for their vital role in facilitating Ryan’s release, and for their visits to Ryan as the United States’ Protecting Power in Afghanistan.” Energy-rich Qatar has hosted negotiations between the US and the Taliban over the years.
A statement from the Qatar Foreign Ministry acknowledged the country’s role in the swap, saying all those traded passed through Doha on their way to their own countries.
Qatar hopes “that this agreement would pave the way for achieving further understandings as a means to resolve disputes through peaceful means,” the statement said.
It was unclear what McKenty was doing in Afghanistan.
Taliban prisoner first convicted of narco-terrorism
Mohammed, 55, was a prisoner in California after his 2008 conviction. The Bureau of Prisons early Tuesday listed Mohammed as not being in their custody.
Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal, a Taliban Foreign Ministry deputy spokesperson, said Mohammed had arrived in Afghanistan and was with his family. Photos released by the Taliban showed him being welcomed back in his home province of Nangarhar, in the country’s east, with multicolored garlands.
Mohammed told Taliban-controlled media he had spent time behind bars in Bagram and also Washington, D.C.
“It’s a joy seeing your family and coming to your homeland. The greatest joy is to come and join your Muslim brothers,” he said.
He was detained on the battlefield in Nangarhar and later taken to the US A federal jury convicted him on charges of securing heroin and opium that he knew were bound for the United States and, in doing so, assisting terrorism activity.
The Justice Department at the time referred to Mohammed as “a violent jihadist and narcotics trafficker” who “sought to kill US soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets.” He was the first person to be convicted on US narco-terrorism laws.
Ahmed Rashid, the author of several books about Afghanistan and the Taliban, described Mohammed as the “biggest drugs smuggler the US had to deal with and key funder of the Taliban.”
Before Biden left office, his administration had been trying to work out a deal to free Corbett, as well as George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi, in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, one of the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by the Taliban’s intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling through the country. Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman who worked as a contractor for a Kabul-based telecommunications company, also went missing in 2022. The Taliban have denied they have Habibi.
Habibi’s family welcomed the exchange and said they were confident the Trump administration would make a “greater effort” to free him, expressing their frustration with the Biden team.
“We know they have evidence my brother is alive and in Taliban hands and it could have been influential in encouraging the Taliban to admit they have him,” Habibi’s brother Ahmed said in a statement shared by the nonprofit Global Reach.
Biden officials “refused to use” the evidence, he claimed. “We know Trump is about results and we have faith he will use every tool available to get Mahmood home.”
Taliban try to gain international recognition
For their part, the Taliban called the exchange the result of “long and fruitful negotiations” with the US and said it was a good example of solving problems through dialogue.
“The Islamic Emirate looks positively at the actions of the United States of America that help the normalization and development of relations between the two countries,” it said.
The Taliban have been trying to make inroads in being recognized, in part to escape the economic tailspin caused by their takeover. Billions in international funds were frozen, and tens of thousands of highly skilled Afghans fled the country and took their money with them.
Trump White House celebrates release of two Americans freed in a swap with Taliban brokered by Biden
https://arab.news/5ujg2
Trump White House celebrates release of two Americans freed in a swap with Taliban brokered by Biden
- The Trump White House cheered the release and thanked Qatar for its assistance facilitating the deal
- “The Trump Administration will continue to demand the release of all Americans held by the Taliban,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said
Trump says he discussed ending Ukraine war with Russia’s Putin
“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelensky, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform.
Indonesia, Turkiye agree to set up drone factory during Erdogan’s visit
- Indonesian, Turkish leaders agree to speed up CEPA talks, increase trade to $10 billion
- Drone factory joint venture deal signed by Turkiye’s Baykar and Indonesia’s Republikorp
JAKARTA: Indonesian and Turkish defense companies agreed on Wednesday to set up a jointly operated drone factory, as the two countries signed a series of deals during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to the Southeast Asian nation.
Erdogan arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday to co-chair with his Indonesian counterpart, Prabowo Subianto, the first meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council — a bilateral mechanism for state-level negotiations.
After the council meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of a joint venture deal between Turkish drone maker Baykar and Indonesian defense firm Republikorp at the Bogor Palace, West Java.
“Indonesia and Turkiye will also strengthen our defense and security cooperation, including education and training for our armed forces, intelligence partnership and counter-terrorism efforts. We also agreed to increase our cooperation and joint production in the defense industry,” Prabowo said during a joint press conference.
“Our meeting was active and productive, we have the same commitment to strengthen our partnership.”
The agreement to set up a drone factory in Indonesia was signed by Baykar CEO Haluk Bayraktar and Republikorp Chairman Norman Joesoef. Details of the deal were not immediately available.
Baykar drones, particularly unmanned aerial combat vehicle Bayraktar TB2, gained global prominence after they were used by Ukraine’s military against Russian forces following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Indonesia and Turkiye — both members of the Group of 20 biggest economies — also agreed to speed up negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or CEPA, to boost bilateral trade, worth about $2.4 billion in 2024.
They signed nine agreements, which besides defense, covered trade, higher education, health care and agriculture.
“We considered it important to enhance our cooperation across various fields,” Erdogan said.
“We will work toward increasing our annual bilateral trade to $10 billion with balanced values. We are committed to do all things necessary to realize this commitment.”
UK Muslim, Jewish leaders present reconciliation accord to King Charles after summit
- Chief rabbi: Agreement represents ‘bold first step towards rebuilding meaningful trust’
LONDON: Senior Muslim and Jewish leaders from Britain held a secret summit that resulted in the signing of a historic reconciliation accord that was presented to King Charles III, The Times reported.
The summit was hosted last month at the 17th-century Drumlanrig Castle in Scotland and involved 11 religious leaders.
The resulting agreement, dubbed the Drumlanrig Accord, was presented to the king on Tuesday.
He hailed the “marvellous exercise” and said the “least he could do” was host the religious leaders.
The summit, held at the invitation of the duke of Buccleuch, aimed to repair ties between the UK’s Muslim and Jewish communities in the wake of the Gaza war.
“The leaders were honoured to be able to present a copy of the accord to his majesty the king at Buckingham Palace, underscoring its profound national and societal significance,” the group of faith leaders said.
“A new framework for engagement … built on mutual respect, dialogue and practical collaboration” between British Muslims and Jews was laid out in the accord. It highlights the shared spiritual heritage of the two faiths.
Both communities committed to working together on “practical initiatives that support the most vulnerable.”
Observers hope that the accord will lead to the establishment of a joint body that could monitor Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents in Britain.
The idea for the summit was put forward by the chief imam of the Scottish Ahlul Bayt Society, Sayed Razawi, who had been working for a year to bring Muslim and Jewish figures together for dinners and meetings.
Ephraim Mirvis, chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, also played a key role.
Sunni and Shiite sects of Islam were represented. Civil servants and community groups also attended.
Razawi said: “Initially people were slightly nervous as they were coming in and saw this huge castle that takes your breath away, but within an hour and a half people were best of friends, joking, talking about each other’s families, discussing issues and problems.”
After eight hours of discussion, the faith leaders agreed upon the accord. They met again on Tuesday at Spencer House in London to sign the document, before walking together to Buckingham Palace to present it to the king.
Mirvis said the accord represents “a bold first step towards rebuilding a meaningful trust between Muslim and Jewish communities over the long term.
“They do not gloss over our differences; they acknowledge them. But they also send out a powerful message that in times of division, when it is far easier to retreat into fear and suspicion, we are prepared to take the more challenging path to reconciliation.”
Gaza family gets UK residency through Ukraine visa program
- Home Office rejection of family’s claim breached their human rights: Judge
- They faced ‘dire situation’ amid ‘daily threats to their lives from Israeli military attacks’
London: A Palestinian family fleeing Gaza have been granted the right to live in Britain through a scheme for Ukrainian refugees.
The family of six refugees were granted anonymity and permitted to join their brother in the UK following the ruling.
It is believed to be the first time refugees from outside Ukraine have used the Ukraine Family Scheme to receive residency rights.
An original rejection of the family’s claim by the Home Office breached their human rights, an immigration judge, Hugo Norton-Taylor, ruled.
More than 70,000 visas were granted to Ukrainians and their family members through the scheme, which launched in March 2022 and closed in February last year.
The Palestinian family applied through the scheme in January 2024, a month before it closed, arguing that their situation was “compelling” enough to justify an exception to the rules.
The mother, father and four children aged 7, 8, 17 and 19 were living in a Gaza refugee camp.
They faced “daily threats to their lives from Israeli military attacks” after an airstrike destroyed their home, the judge said. The family’s sponsor arrived in Britain in 2007 and is now a citizen.
Documents show that Norton-Taylor found that they were living in a “dire situation.” The family were exposed to a humanitarian crisis resulting from “the Israeli government’s indiscriminate attempts to eliminate Hamas.”
An initial rejection of their claim by a Home Office tribunal argued that instituting a resettlement scheme for Palestinians was not the body’s responsibility.
But Norton-Taylor found that the rejection interfered with their right to a family life. He highlighted the “incredibly dangerous” situation for Palestinians in Gaza and warned of the family’s “high risk of death.”
A Home Office spokesperson said the department had contested the claim “rigorously,” adding: “The latter court ruled against us on the narrow facts of this specific case.
“Nevertheless, we are clear that there is no resettlement route from Gaza, and we will continue to contest any future claims that do not meet our rules.”
Bangladesh cuts airfare for Saudi-bound migrant workers
- Under the new scheme, base fares for flights to the Kingdom are set at $360
- Workers must be registered with Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training
DHAKA: The Bangladeshi government has introduced a special discounted airfare to reduce migration costs for expat workers traveling to Saudi Arabia and other foreign employment destinations, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism said on Wednesday.
The decision was issued by the ministry in a circular on Tuesday, directing all airlines and travel agencies operating in the country to provide special fares for Bangladeshis traveling on work visas.
“It’s an inter-ministerial coordinated decision aimed at reducing the burden on our remittance earners. We have instructed all airlines operating in Bangladesh to adhere to these base fare guidelines,” said Abu Naser Khan, additional secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.
“Our migrants have been burdened by the high cost of airfare. Our chief adviser, Prof. Muhammad Yunus, is deeply sympathetic to the plight of migrant workers, and this base fare reduction has been implemented following his guidance and approval.”
The national flag carrier, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, has already approved the reduced fare scheme, while other carriers need to take measures by the end of next week to decrease ticket prices.
“A task force has been formed to monitor the situation on the ground. Led by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, this task force will include representatives from all relevant stakeholders,” Khan said.
“Bangladeshi migrants who are traveling as new recruits to any country with a smart card issued by the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training are eligible for this opportunity.”
The decision is to prevent travel agencies from manipulating ticket prices.
“There was a trend here in Bangladesh to book the air tickets much earlier without the details of the passengers. This practice creates a crisis in the availability of the tickets, forcing the migrants to pay a high fare,” said Afsia Jannat Saleh, secretary general of the Association of Travel Agents of Bangladesh.
“This system was called group booking. The agents booked tickets at the rate of $300-400, but the migrants needed to pay up to $900 for a one-way ticket.”
Most Bangladeshi expat workers look for opportunities in Saudi Arabia, where about 3 million of them live and work. They are the largest expat group in the Kingdom and the largest Bangladeshi community outside Bangladesh.
“At the moment, most of our migrants are traveling to Saudi Arabia ... Since September last, the number of migrants travel has just doubled. Earlier, it was around 44,000 per month, and now it stands around 84,000,” Saleh told Arab News.
“In the case of traveling to Saudi Arabia, now migrants will be able to save around $100.”
Under the new airfare structure, base fares — excluding taxes — are set at $360 for flights on the Dhaka-Jeddah, Dhaka-Madinah and Dhaka-Riyadh routes. Earlier, the cheapest price ranged between $430 and $480.
