Taliban call for release of two U.S. detainees and clarity on Guantánamo inmate

Taliban officials in Kandahar said they want two American detainees released "as soon as possible" and pressed for clarity about Muhammad Rahim, the last Afghan inmate held at Guantánamo Bay. For months U.S. and Afghan officials have conducted secret negotiations over U.S. detainees — a priority for President Trump — but talks have stalled over the remaining cases, the article said.

In an interview with The New York Times, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said, "We want these two American detainees to be released," and added that the fate of the Guantánamo prisoner should be resolved. The Taliban say they hold two Americans identified by U.S. officials as Dennis Walter Coyle and Polynesis Jackson, and Afghan officials say they do not know the whereabouts of a third U.S.

citizen, Mahmood Habibi, whom the F.B.I. says was arrested in Afghanistan in 2022. The article says Muhammad Rahim is accused of acting as a courier and interpreter for Osama bin Laden and has been held at Guantánamo since 2008; U.S. officials say he had advanced knowledge of Al Qaeda attacks.

The Senate Committee's report on the C.I.A. says he was subjected to enhanced-interrogation techniques, including nearly six days of sleep deprivation. Rahim has never been charged, and his family has denied wrongdoing and asked the Taliban administration to secure his release.

Key Topics

World, Taliban, Muhammad Rahim, Dennis Coyle, Polynesis Jackson, Mahmood Habibi