The Taliban on Thursday released American hostage George Glezmann after holding him for more than two years in Afghanistan following negotiations between the Trump administration and Qatari officials, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the release told Fox News Digital.
Glezmann departed the Kabul airport Wednesday evening local time on his way to Doha where he will then be met by U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler along with a team from the Qatari Foreign Ministry.
The release of the 65-year-old American, abducted while visiting Kabul as a tourist on Dec. 5, 2022, comes after Boehler met with officials from the Afghan foreign ministry in direct talks alongside Qatari officials.
While Qatar has maintained diplomatic relations with Afghanistan following the 2021 Taliban takeover, the U.S. has not.
The diplomatic source confirmed that Glezmann’s release was done as a ‘goodwill gesture’ by the Taliban as an indication of ‘trust’ in Qatar’s continued role as intermediary between Washington and Kabul.
The exchange differs from the release of two other Americans freed earlier this year, including Ryan Corbett and William Mckenty, who were released in exchange for a Taliban member in U.S. custody in a final hour deal struck by the Biden administration.
Secretary of State Macro Rubio championed the release and said, ‘George Glezmann is free. George was wrongfully detained in Afghanistan for two and a half years, but now he’s on his way to be reunited with his wife Aleksandra. Welcome home, George!’
The Trump administration has made hostage releases around the globe a top priority, as well as renewing relations with adversarial nations.
It is unclear at this point if Boehler’s meeting with the Afghan foreign ministry signifies the U.S. will establish official diplomatic ties with the Taliban, particularly as Washington tries to secure the release of another American still held in Afghanistan.
U.S. citizen Mahmood Habibi has been held by the Taliban for more than two years, though the insurgent-run goverment denies it is holding him.
Check back on this developing story.