Latest news with #GeorgeGlezmann
Telegraph
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
A major ISIS attack on Western soil is very likely within the next year
It's not on the front pages, but events in Afghanistan have a way of affecting the rest of the world. The latest news is that hostage after American hostage is being released, in drip-drip fashion, by the Taliban. George Glezmann one day, Faye Hall the next. The hostages take photographs and make videos praising president Donald Trump, who posts them on social media. They will not have been given back for nothing. A deal must have been made. Reports indicate that the Trump administration is considering re-opening America's Kabul embassy. It was shuttered after the fall of the internationally recognised Afghan government in August 2021, when the American diplomatic presence in Afghanistan shut up shop. All of this looks like a preliminary step to closer diplomacy with the Taliban, the slow road to normalising relations. The Taliban says the United States has also dropped its offer of a ten million dollar reward for information on Sirajuddin Haqqani, deputy leader of the group, who is wanted for bombings in Afghanistan over a decade and a half ago. Haqqani is still an jihadist; his organisation is still engaged in international terror. But now he is not worth pursuing. Why? All of this is largely because, in Afghanistan, the United States believes it has a bigger enemy. The Islamic State's Khorsan province (ISIS-K) has launched many serious attacks across Asia and Europe, including a terrible attack at the Crocus City Hall in Russia last year in March; and in Kerman, Iran, in January 2024. ISIS-K is the survivor of the Islamic State's Iraqi and Syrian 'caliphate'. It adheres to the same belief in ultra-violence that ISIS always had, and has the same ultimate goal: the annihilation of all non-believers through acts of spectacular terrorism. Its networks stretch via central Asia through Russia and Turkey and into Europe and around the world. ISIS-K is also engaged in a war against the Taliban, who it claims are insufficiently pious Muslims and the puppets of foreign powers. Almost weekly for several years, ISIS-K has launched attacks in Afghanistan: assaulting Taliban checkpoints, bombing mosques, assassinating clerics and local leaders. The Abbey Gate bombing, which resulted in August 2021 in the deaths of 13 Americans and an estimated 200 Afghans, was an ISIS attack. The retreating Americans had been relying on Taliban fighters to act as security for those attempting to leave the country via Kabul's crowded airport. If the Taliban is not going anywhere – and there does not seem to be a serious domestic challenge in Afghanistan except ISIS-K – why not work with them? This is the view of the Chinese and Russian governments, which have extensive ties to the Taliban that will only deepen. It's a seductive thought. But it's also a mistake. When the United States left Afghanistan, the Taliban moved in, but they did not come alone. They brought guests with them, not only the terrorists of the Haqqani Network, but also members of al-Qaeda – including its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was spotted and later killed in Kabul by a missile fired from a drone in July 2022. Al-Zawahiri was living in a building formerly occupied by workers for international NGOs. Americans once fought a war to remove al-Qaeda from Afghanistan. Within months of America's exit from the country, the Taliban invited them back. The Taliban's failing governance is the reason ISIS-K is growing in strength. The country is desperately poor and unlikely to get rich following the kinds of pseudo-economics the Taliban claims to believe in. And making the Taliban appear even more of an American puppet (which ISIS already says it is) can only make things worse domestically. The international environment is unsettled. There are so many terror threats, domestic and foreign, that it is difficult to keep up. A major ISIS attack on European or US soil is very likely within the next year or so. It's what ISIS-K appears to be building up to. Allying with the Taliban, a terrorist group far away, cannot prevent such an attack. What really matters are the boring things within our power: counter-terrorism, policing, domestic security. The Taliban can't even keep themselves safe from ISIS. What use would they possibly be in defending us? We ought to think of that before we pretend one terrorist can protect us from another.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A major ISIS attack on Western soil is very likely within the next year
It's not on the front pages, but events in Afghanistan have a way of affecting the rest of the world. The latest news is that hostage after American hostage is being released, in drip-drip fashion, by the Taliban. George Glezmann one day, Faye Hall the next. The hostages take photographs and make videos praising president Donald Trump, who posts them on social media. They will not have been given back for nothing. A deal must have been made. Reports indicate that the Trump administration is considering re-opening America's Kabul embassy. It was shuttered after the fall of the internationally recognised Afghan government in August 2021, when the American diplomatic presence in Afghanistan shut up shop. All of this looks like a preliminary step to closer diplomacy with the Taliban, the slow road to normalising relations. The Taliban says the United States has also dropped its offer of a ten million dollar reward for information on Sirajuddin Haqqani, deputy leader of the group, who is wanted for bombings in Afghanistan over a decade and a half ago. Haqqani is still an jihadist; his organisation is still engaged in international terror. But now he is not worth pursuing. Why? All of this is largely because, in Afghanistan, the United States believes it has a bigger enemy. The Islamic State's Khorsan province (ISIS-K) has launched many serious attacks across Asia and Europe, including a terrible attack at the Crocus City Hall in Russia last year in March; and in Kerman, Iran, in January 2024. ISIS-K is the survivor of the Islamic State's Iraqi and Syrian 'caliphate'. It adheres to the same belief in ultra-violence that ISIS always had, and has the same ultimate goal: the annihilation of all non-believers through acts of spectacular terrorism. Its networks stretch via central Asia through Russia and Turkey and into Europe and around the world. ISIS-K is also engaged in a war against the Taliban, who it claims are insufficiently pious Muslims and the puppets of foreign powers. Almost weekly for several years, ISIS-K has launched attacks in Afghanistan: assaulting Taliban checkpoints, bombing mosques, assassinating clerics and local leaders. The Abbey Gate bombing, which resulted in August 2021 in the deaths of 13 Americans and an estimated 200 Afghans, was an ISIS attack. The retreating Americans had been relying on Taliban fighters to act as security for those attempting to leave the country via Kabul's crowded airport. If the Taliban is not going anywhere – and there does not seem to be a serious domestic challenge in Afghanistan except ISIS-K – why not work with them? This is the view of the Chinese and Russian governments, which have extensive ties to the Taliban that will only deepen. It's a seductive thought. But it's also a mistake. When the United States left Afghanistan, the Taliban moved in, but they did not come alone. They brought guests with them, not only the terrorists of the Haqqani Network, but also members of al-Qaeda – including its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was spotted and later killed in Kabul by a missile fired from a drone in July 2022. Al-Zawahiri was living in a building formerly occupied by workers for international NGOs. Americans once fought a war to remove al-Qaeda from Afghanistan. Within months of America's exit from the country, the Taliban invited them back. The Taliban's failing governance is the reason ISIS-K is growing in strength. The country is desperately poor and unlikely to get rich following the kinds of pseudo-economics the Taliban claims to believe in. And making the Taliban appear even more of an American puppet (which ISIS already says it is) can only make things worse domestically. The international environment is unsettled. There are so many terror threats, domestic and foreign, that it is difficult to keep up. A major ISIS attack on European or US soil is very likely within the next year or so. It's what ISIS-K appears to be building up to. Allying with the Taliban, a terrorist group far away, cannot prevent such an attack. What really matters are the boring things within our power: counter-terrorism, policing, domestic security. The Taliban can't even keep themselves safe from ISIS. What use would they possibly be in defending us? We ought to think of that before we pretend one terrorist can protect us from another. James Snell is a former senior advisor for special initiatives at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy. His first book, The Fall of the Assads, will be published this year. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Faye Hall, American detained by Taliban, has been released
An American woman who had been detained by the Taliban since February has been freed, a source with knowledge of the release told Fox News on Saturday. American citizen Faye Hall was released on Thursday and received at the Qatari embassy in Kabul. She has been confirmed to be in good health after undergoing a series of medical checks, the source said. Arrangements are currently underway for her return to the United States. The Taliban agreed to release Hall after President Donald Trump removed multimillion-dollar bounties on senior members of the militant group, according to a report by the Telegraph. Taliban Frees American Hostage George Glezmann Following Negotiations With Us, Qatar Trump agreed to remove millions of dollars of bounties on three senior members of the Haqqani network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban government's interior minister, the outlet reported, noting that Washington was offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture. Fox News Digital wasn't immediately able to confirm the nature of the agreement and has reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment. Read On The Fox News App Her release was initiated following a court order and with logistical support from Qatar serving in its role as the United States' protecting power in Afghanistan, the Fox News source said. Hall was arrested on Feb. 1 along with a British couple, Peter Reynolds, 79, his wife Barbie, 75, and their interpreter, the outlet reported. Family Of Third American Held By Taliban Calls For His Immediate Release: 'We Are Concerned' The Associated Press previously reported that the British couple ran education programs in Afghanistan via Rebuild, an organization that provides education and training programs for businesses, government agencies, educational organizations and nongovernmental groups. The Sunday Times said one project was for mothers and children. The Taliban severely restricts women's education and activities in the country. It is unclear what relationship Hall had with the couple or their group. The couple's detention was not based on any violations of local laws or religious customs, but was a political move by a faction to increase international pressure on the government and Haibatullah Akhundzada, its supreme leader, the Telegraph reported. The couple's children wrote a letter to the Taliban pleading for their release, saying that the couple respected and obeyed the laws. "They have chosen Afghanistan as their home, rather than with family in England, and they wish to spend the rest of their lives in Afghanistan," the letter reads in part, according to the Associated Press. Hall's release comes after the Taliban released American hostage George Glezmann, 65, last week after holding him for more than two years. That deal was also struck after negotiations between the Trump administration and Qatari officials. Glezmann was abducted while visiting Kabul as a tourist on Dec. 5, 2022. Two other Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, were released earlier this year in exchange for a Taliban member in U.S. custody in a final-hour deal struck by the Biden administration. Fox News' Caitlin McFall and the Associated Press contributed to this report. Original article source: Faye Hall, American detained by Taliban, has been released
Boston Globe
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
American woman held in Afghanistan by the Taliban has been released, AP source says
Advertisement Earlier this month, George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was freed after more than two years in custody. That release follows a separate deal, executed on the final day of the Biden administration and also mediated by the Qataris, that secured the releases of Ryand Corbett and William McKenty. Officials in Kabul, the Afghan capital, said recently that the United States had lifted bounties on three senior Taliban figures, including the interior minister, who also heads a powerful network blamed for attacks against Afghanistan's former Western-backed government. AP Middle East News Director Victoria Eastwood in Cairo contributed to this report.
Middle East Eye
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
US citizen released by Taliban after more than two years in detention
A US citizen who the Taliban held for more than two years was released yesterday after weeks of negotiations led by Qatari and US mediators. George Glezmann, 66, a Delta Airlines mechanic, visited Afghanistan in late 2022 as a tourist. According to his family, he intended to spend five days in the country exploring its history and culture. He was detained by the Taliban's intelligence service on 5 December but was never charged with any crime or offence. He was not declared wrongfully detained by the Biden administration until nine months later, in September 2023. According to a resolution that was put forward in July by Democratic Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock from Glezmann's home state of Georgia, Glezmann was held in a "9ft by 9ft cell" with other detainees and sometimes held in "solitary confinement and underground for months at a time". In the period up until July 2024, Glezmann was not granted any consular visits by Department of State personnel. During his detention, he apparently only had seven phone calls totalling 54 minutes with his family and limited in-person visits with representatives of Qatar. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters At the time the resolution was put forward, his health was said to have rapidly declined while being detained, with reports that he had suffered from facial tumours, hypertension, severe malnutrition, and other medical conditions. The US does not have a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan after it closed its embassy there after the Taliban took over in August 2022. Qatar represents the US in Afghanistan, acting as its 'protective power'. In a statement released by Qatar's Ministry of Affairs, Minister of State Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi announced that it had helped facilitate the release of Glezmann. 'The Afghan caretaker government's response to this process is a gesture of goodwill, reflecting its will to engage in dialogue and communication with the international community,' adding that 'this approach deserves encouragement to establish mutual understanding… in resolving all outstanding issues'. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said yesterday that Qatar has 'consistently proven to be a reliable partner and trusted mediator, facilitating complex negotiations'. 'We extend our deepest appreciation to the State of Qatar, whose steadfast commitment and diplomatic efforts were instrumental in securing George's release,' he said. Glezmann is the third US citizen to be freed from Afghanistan this year after Ryan Corbett and William McKenty were released in a prisoner exchange in January. Glezmann's family is said to be 'overjoyed and grateful. And relieved', according to a report by CNN.
