KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has said that the release of two American citizens held in Afghanistan is conditional on the release of a Taliban member imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay.
In an audio recording obtained by Amu and attributed to Akhundzada, the Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader is heard saying, “An Afghan is imprisoned in Guantánamo. Two Americans are imprisoned here. They ask us to release them safely. We say: release our prisoner safely too — why won’t you?”
The remarks, reportedly delivered during a gathering in Kandahar, suggest the Taliban are seeking a prisoner exchange as part of broader engagement with the United States.
Akhundzada also reiterated that Taliban members have adhered to his general amnesty decree, a claim widely disputed by rights groups, which have documented reprisals against former security personnel and civil servants.
His comments came days after the release of George Glezmann, a 66-year-old American who had been held in Taliban custody for more than two years. Glezmann was freed last Thursday, shortly after an unannounced visit to Kabul by a U.S. delegation that included Zalmay Khalilzad, the former American envoy who helped negotiate the 2020 Doha Agreement.
Akhundzada also used the occasion to criticize the U.S. for its military operations in the Middle East, though he offered no further details.
The Trump administration has not publicly addressed the possibility of a detainee exchange or confirmed whether talks are ongoing with the Taliban.
