Taliban announce the release of two Americans held in Afghanistan in a prisoner exchange

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghanistan's Taliban government announced on Tuesday the release of two Americans in a prisoner exchange.

The Taliban's Foreign Ministry in Kabul did not name the two U.S. citizens, but said they were exchanged for Khan Muhammad, who was arrested in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar two decades ago and has been serving a life sentence in a California prison.

The family of Ryan Corbett, one of the Americans in the exchange, said Tuesday their hearts were filled with "overwhelming gratitude for sustaining his life and bringing him back home after what had been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives.”

Corbett, who had lived in Afghanistan with his family at the time of the 2021 collapse of the U.S.-backed government, was abducted by the Taliban in August 2022 while on a business trip.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry said the prisoner exchange was the result of “long and fruitful negotiations” with the U.S. and 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,” the statement said.