American officials have put forth a new proposal to the Taliban over the weekend in a bid to secure the release of American captives in Afghanistan. The White House has been working on a deal to bring Americans home in exchange for Muhammad Rahim, an Afghan detainee at Guantánamo Bay since 2008. While the U.S. government claims Rahim was a senior aide to Al-Qaeda, others question his role in the organization, suggesting he was merely a courier and translator, posing no threat to the U.S. if released. The Taliban acknowledges holding two Americans, George Glezmann, a former airline mechanic, and Ryan Corbett, who lived in Afghanistan before the fall of the U.S.-backed government. Regarding a third American, Mahmood Habibi, sought by the U.S. government, the Taliban has declined to confirm his captivity. Habibi, a naturalized American, was captured following a U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan in 2022 that killed Ayman al-Zawahri, the leader of Al-Qaeda.
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