Trump White House celebrates release of two Americans freed in a swap with Taliban brokered by Biden
Quotes
A lot of innocent people are imprisoned, my request is that all of them can be released and be able to return to their homes,
he said
While we begin the healing process with Ryan by our side, we remain mindful of the many families who are still waiting for their loved ones to return, including the families of George Glezmann and Mahmoud Habibi,
they said
It’s a joy seeing your family and coming to your homeland. The greatest joy is to come and join your Muslim brothers,
he said
While we are happy for Ryan and William, we are disappointed that Mahmood was not included in the deal,
said the organization's CEO Mickey Bergman
We have reason to be confident Mahmood is alive and in Taliban custody, despite their hollow denials of holding him,
his brother Ahmad Habibi statedAn Afghan fighter Khan Mohammad imprisoned in America has been released in exchange for American citizens and returned to the country,
the Afghan Foreign Ministry said in a statement
Our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,
the family's statement said
The Islamic Emirate looks positively at the actions of the United States of America that help the normalization and development of relations between the two countries,
the statement said
It was our hope that Ryan, George and Mahmoud would be returned to their families together, and we cannot imagine the pain that our good fortune will bring them,
the family said
They [the Taliban] didn’t want the news to die during the inauguration and they want the Trump administration to have the credit,
the source said
Once the copy of his passport went down to Kabul, that that’s where they saw that they had somebody with the blue passport that they might be able to use politically,
Anna Corbett previously told CNNMay God turn all the infidels to dead corpses,
Mohammed said, ... according to the Justice Department
The Taliban has rejected everything every single time,
said a senior Biden administration official who discussed the negotiations on condition of anonymity
In [Biden’s] waning days there’s been a real push, as there always is, to try to figure out if we can make progress on those who remain, who remain top of mind for the president and the administration, even as he is walking out the door,
the official said, while acknowledging that the next Trump administrationWe urge the Taliban to immediately release both George and Mahmood,
Biden said in a statement shared with CNN before he left officeThe incoming administration has made several public statements about their expectation that Americans be freed from Afghanistan and that there would be consequences if that were not the case,
the official saidWhat I heard him say is he is not bringing Ryan home,
said Anna Corbett, who also met with Waltz, after traveling to Mar-a-Lago, uninvited, to try to meet with TrumpThey are on board with this deal,
the Biden official saidHis health is declining. His mental health is declining. And he is still alive, but we don’t know how long and we need to bring him back home immediately,
she said at the timeWhile we would not do the deal that the Biden administration did at the end, we are always happy to have two Americans home,
the Trump official said