Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced in a statement Sunday the release of U.S. citizen Amir Amiry, who had been considered wrongfully detained in Afghanistan.
This is the fifth release of an American citizen from detention in Afghanistan this year. Amiry’s case was not previously known to the public.
In his statement, Rubio thanked and credited President Donald Trump for his leadership and commitment, and he also gave credit to Qatar for helping to secure Amiry’s release.
“Today, thanks to President Trump’s leadership and commitment to the American people, the United States welcomes home U.S. citizen Amir Amiry who was wrongfully detained in Afghanistan. We express our sincere gratitude to Qatar, whose strong partnership and tireless diplomatic efforts were vital to securing his release,” Rubio said in his statement.
Rubio said there are still other Americans “unjustly detained” in Afghanistan and Trump “won’t rest” until they are returned home.
Officials at the State Department have said they hope an executive order signed by Trump earlier this year will deter nations from wrongfully detaining American citizens and that it will help to secure the release of wrongfully detained Americans abroad. The EO enhances efforts to protect U.S. nationals from wrongful detention abroad by authorizing robust responses against foreign governments engaging in such practices.
Special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler traveled to Kabul to personally oversee Amiry’s release and to make sure all went according to plan, according to an administration official.
The official notes that Amiry was an American citizen and had received a special immigrant visa (SIV), which is a U.S. immigration program for Iraqis and Afghans who worked for the U.S. government or military to become permanent residents. Examples of SIV holders include translators and interpreters. Details of Amiry’s employment were not provided.
The diplomatic talks and negotiations leading to Amiry’s release was a joint U.S.-Qatari effort. This was not a prisoner exchange and the U.S. did not give anything to the Taliban in exchange for Amiry’s safe return, a U.S. official said.
Amiry’s release and Boehler’s visit to the region comes one week after Trump urged the Taliban to give back control of Bagram Air Base to the United States, threatening “bad things” would happen to Afghanistan if it does not.
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