Family of Afghan-American Detainee Hopes for Release After US Envoy’s Kabul Visit

KABUL (Kokcha.News) — The family of Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American detained by the Taliban, has expressed hope for his release after Adam Boehler, the US President’s Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, visited Kabul on Saturday, September 22. Boehler met with Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, and Mullah Baradar, the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, to discuss bilateral relations and the issue of detainees.

Ahmad Shah Habibi, Mahmood’s brother, told Afghanistan International that the US administration has assured the family it will work towards his release. He expressed hope that the discussions between Boehler and Taliban officials would lead to his brother’s freedom.

The Taliban stated that Boehler raised the issue of a “prisoner exchange” during the meeting. However, US officials have not yet commented on any specific efforts to secure Habibi’s release.

Habibi’s family has repeatedly called for his freedom. Amir Khan Muttaqi emphasized during the meeting that “now is a good opportunity to normalize relations, and there are no complex issues in bilateral relations that would be difficult to resolve.”

This marks the second visit by a US delegation led by Boehler, accompanied by Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US Special Envoy for Afghanistan, to Kabul. The US has repeatedly urged the Taliban to release its detainees, including Habibi, but the Taliban has denied holding him in their prisons.

Habibi, who worked for the telecommunications company Asia Consultancy Group in Kabul, remained in Afghanistan after the fall of the previous government. He was detained by the Taliban just four days after returning from a trip abroad three months ago.

Some reports suggest the Taliban has accused him of collaborating with the CIA in locating the hideout of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the former leader of al-Qaeda, in Kabul.