WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden engaged in a vital conversation Sunday with the families of three Americans the U.S. is striving to bring home from Afghanistan. As speculation surrounds a potential deal, it remains uncertain if the negotiations can be concluded before the end of Biden’s term next week.
Biden’s discussion with the relatives of Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann, and Mahmoud Habibi coincides with urgent negotiations aimed at a possible exchange involving Muhammad Rahim, a detainee at Guantanamo Bay.
Corbett was abducted by the Taliban in August 2022 during a business trip after living in Afghanistan when the U.S.-backed government collapsed in 2021. Meanwhile, Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was taken by Taliban intelligence services in December 2022 while traveling in Afghanistan.
Authorities believe the Taliban is still holding both men, along with Habibi, an Afghan American businessman who disappeared in 2022 while working for a telecom company in Kabul. According to the FBI, Habibi and a driver were kidnapped alongside 29 other employees, but all have been released except for Habibi and one other individual.
The Taliban has denied holding Habibi, complicating the diplomatic efforts with the U.S. government.
During the call, Biden made it clear to the families that any potential trade involving Rahim would only occur if the Taliban releases Habibi, as stated by Habibi’s brother, Ahmad.
“President Biden affirmed that he would not proceed with the trade unless my brother is freed,” Ahmad stated. “He assured us that he would not leave him behind. Our family deeply appreciates his commitment.”
Ryan Fayhee, a lawyer representing Corbett’s family, expressed gratitude for Biden’s outreach but urged immediate action on the negotiation.
“A deal is on the table, and the responsibility to accept it rests solely with the President,” Fayhee stated. “Difficult decisions shape great leadership, and we trust President Biden will prioritize American lives over perfection.”
If a resolution is not achieved before January 20, the responsibility for negotiations will transfer to the incoming administration. It remains uncertain whether they would adopt a different approach regarding the release of a Guantanamo detainee deemed a potential threat.
Only 15 detainees currently remain at Guantanamo, a significant decrease from nearly 800 during the Bush administration.
Rahim is one of three detainees who have never been formally charged, yet he is considered too dangerous to be transferred to other countries, despite hundreds of other detainees being released without charges.
The U.S. government has labeled Rahim as a key operative for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida, describing him as an ongoing threat to national security, despite no formal charges or evidence made public during his 17-year detention.
The plight of Rahim has been largely obscured, even within the confines of Guantanamo’s military detention system.
Rahim’s attorney recently informed a U.N. human rights commission that he has been “systematically silenced” by the U.S., claiming that any statement made by Rahim has been classified under national security.
In a previous incident in September 2022, the Biden administration successfully negotiated a swap involving a Taliban drug lord in exchange for an American contractor held by the Taliban for over two years.
