Taliban releases American tourist George Glezmann in a diplomatic gesture mediated by Qatar, marking third U.S. detainee freed this year. (AP/Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- American George Glezmann freed by Taliban after two-year abduction in diplomatic breakthrough.
- Qatari negotiators help secure release of U.S. tourist held since December 2022.
- State Department confirms Glezmann's return to U.S. without prisoner exchange.
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WASHINGTON — An American man who was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist has been released by the Taliban in a deal with the Trump administration that Qatari negotiators helped broker, the State Department said Thursday.
George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, is the third American detainee to be released by the Taliban since January. He was seized by the Taliban’s intelligence services in December 2022 and was designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained the following year.
In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Glezmann was on his way back to the United States to be reunited with his wife, Aleksandra, and praised Qatar for “steadfast commitment and diplomatic efforts” that he said were “instrumental in securing George’s release.”
Diplomatic Negotiations
“George’s release is a positive and constructive step,” Rubio said. “It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will continue his tireless work to free ALL Americans unjustly detained around the world.”
Glezmann was being accompanied back to the United States, through Qatar’s capital, Doha, by Adam Boehler, who has been handling hostage issues for President Donald Trump’s administration. The Taliban disclosed earlier Thursday that Boehler had been meeting on hostage issues with a delegation that included Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Related Story: Afghans Who Fled Taliban Rule Urge Trump to Lift Refugee Program Suspension
Ongoing Diplomatic Efforts
The release of Glezmann, who’s in his mid-60s, is part of what the Taliban has previously described as the “normalization” of ties between the U.S. and Afghanistan following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Most countries still don’t recognize the Taliban’s rule.
Unlike in previous arrangements, the U.S. did not give up any prisoner to secure Glezmann’s release, which was done as a goodwill gesture, according to an official briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.
The FBI and representatives for Mahmood Habibi, another detained Afghan-American, continue to seek his release, with his brother stating, “We are confident that the Trump Administration will hold firm that my brother needs to be released for relations with the U.S. to move forward.”
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Associated Press writers Victoria Eastwood in Cairo and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.
