Who Are the Remaining American Citizens Held by the Taliban?

Kokcha News Agency: According to sources, the three American citizens still detained by the Taliban are Polincis Eidern, Dennis Walter Koyle, and Mahmood Shah Habibi. While some information has previously been released about Mahmood Shah Habibi, whose family has repeatedly called for his release, details about the other two American detainees remain scarce.

On Sunday, the Taliban released another American citizen, Amir Emiri, from prison. The Taliban did not provide any information about Emiri or the reasons for his detention. Prior to this, the U.S. government had not publicly acknowledged Emiri’s imprisonment by the Taliban.

Emiri was released following an unannounced visit to Kabul by Adam Boehler, the U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Boehler met with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul. A photo released by the Taliban shows Boehler alongside Sebastian Gorka, a former advisor to President Trump on terrorism, and an Arab official.

Previously, American citizens have been released through the mediation of the Qatari government.

Mahmood Shah Habibi was arrested over three years ago in connection with the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, in Kabul. However, the Taliban has denied his arrest and claimed to have no knowledge of his presence in Afghanistan.