Mahmood Shah Habibi, an American citizen reportedly handed over to al-Qaeda by the Taliban, faces imminent execution, according to a former CIA official.
Sarah Adams, a former intelligence officer, raised the alarm on social media, criticizing the U.S. government’s ongoing relationship with the Taliban, which it continues to view as a counterterrorism partner in Afghanistan.
“What’s worse? The Taliban recently handed Mahmood over to al-Qaeda, and his execution by them is now imminent,” Adams wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Habibi, who was captured by the Taliban some time ago, is allegedly being held responsible for the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri, the former al-Qaeda leader believed to have masterminded the 2012 Benghazi attacks, Adams said. She added that al-Zawahiri had been moved to Kabul by the Haqqani network, a Taliban affiliate, prior to his death in a U.S. drone strike in 2022.
Adams accused the Taliban of misleading the U.S. government by denying any involvement in Habibi’s custody or support for al-Qaeda. She warned that unless immediate action is taken, “an American will be executed by al-Qaeda.”
Her statements come amid growing criticism of the Biden administration’s engagement with the Taliban following the group’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces. Habibi, she noted, was arrested in separate incidents in August 2022, a year after the Taliban seized Kabul.
Adams questioned whether the U.S. government would continue its current approach. “Will the U.S. continue to cover for the Taliban, even after they’ve handed an American over to al-Qaeda for execution?” she asked.
