A US diplomatic source revealed that removing certain Haqqani network members from the US Department of Justice’s wanted list was part of a secret agreement with the Taliban to secure George Glazman’s release. This deal followed a recent American delegation’s visit to Kabul that aimed to free the American hostage through negotiations.
Before the trip, the American team had considered all possible options, including deploying US Army Special Forces “Delta Force” for a rescue operation. Adam Boehler, Donald Trump’s envoy for hostage affairs who led the delegation, had proposed using military force, but strong opposition from Trump’s inner circle paved the way for negotiations and concessions to the Taliban.
Over the past three years, several American citizens have been kidnapped by the Taliban, with their release often involving significant concessions from Washington. In 2022, Mark Frerichs, a former US Navy officer, was freed after two years of captivity in exchange for Bashir Noorzai, a prominent Taliban figure. Similarly, in 2025, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty were released following the liberation of Khan Mohammad, an Afghan prisoner in California serving a life sentence for drug trafficking and extremism.
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