American officials involved in hostage negotiation efforts saw the Taliban’s release this week of a U.S. citizen held in Afghanistan as an encouraging sign that the two sides could reach a broader prisoner deal to resolve the fate of the other Americans held there.
Still, the path to any agreement remains fraught. Taliban officials are seeking the release of a high-level Qaeda detainee held at the naval prison at Guantánamo Bay, and the whereabouts of some Americans in Afghanistan remain unknown — possibly even to the Taliban. The challenges illustrate the delicate complexities of hostage negotiations.
Both sides have much to gain from reaching an agreement. The Taliban is seeking international recognition, while President Trump has made the release of Americans held overseas a priority in his two presidencies.
Mr. Trump’s terms for a deal with the Taliban were clear. After Amir Amiry, the American, was released, one of the president’s top counterterrorism advisers, Sebastian Gorka, wrote on social media: “All Americans must come home. That means all.”
Mr. Gorka accompanied Mr. Amiry home, along with Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s special envoy for hostage response, who has visited Afghanistan several times this year. In a photo of Mr. Amiry’s plane ride home released by Qatari officials, Mr. Boehler wears a jacket with the flags of the United States and Qatar, which has played a key role in the negotiations.
“Amir Amiry’s release was a positive step by the Taliban as we work towards the release of all Americans detained in Afghanistan,” a State Department spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday.
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