Latest news with #Khalilzad
Iraqi News
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Iraqi News
Former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad visits Baghdad
Baghdad ( – Afghan-born American diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad has made a notable visit to Baghdad, holding meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. Khalilzad, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq from 2005 to 2007, played a pivotal role in shaping Iraq's post-invasion political landscape. Khalilzad with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani in Baghdad. Before his ambassadorship, Khalilzad acted as Special Presidential Envoy and Ambassador-at-Large for Free Iraqis under President George W. Bush between 2002 and 2003. During this period, he was deeply involved in U.S. efforts to influence Iraq's transitional government. Notably, some sources claim Khalilzad was instrumental in persuading Iraq's parliament to end former Prime Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari's tenure. In a revealing report from 2014 by VOX Media, it was alleged that Khalilzad sought the CIA's assistance in selecting a successor, with the agency recommending Nouri Al-Maliki, who would go on to serve as Iraq's Prime Minister for eight years.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Taliban releases American detained in Afghanistan
An American woman who has been held by the Taliban in Afghanistan has been freed, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said Saturday. 'American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home,' Khalilzad said in a post on X. His post featured a photo of Hall smiling and sitting between two men. It was not clear who the two men are. A Taliban spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that a female U.S. citizen was freed Saturday. The spokesperson said she was handed over to a group who negotiated her release with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Khalilzad did not give further details on the circumstances of Hall's release. The U.S. State Department did not immediately reply to NBC News' request for confirmation. Hall had been detained in Afghanistan since February on charges of using a drone without authorization, The Associated Press reported. President Donald Trump shared a video of Hall on his Truth Social account Saturday afternoon. In the video, Hall said she voted for Trump twice and that she is so happy he is in office, calling this 'the new era.' 'Thank you for bringing me home, and I've never been so proud to be an American citizen,' Hall said in the video posted by Trump. Earlier this month, American George Glezmann, who had been held by the Taliban for two years, was released in a separate deal brokered by Qatar. Officials from the Trump administration had been engaged with Taliban representatives to secure Glezmann's release. 'The Taliban government agreed to free him as a goodwill gesture to @POTUS and the American people,' Khalilzad said of Glezmann in a March 20 post on X. He was not part of a prisoner exchange. Glezmann was in the country in December 2022 on a five-day trip to 'explore the cultural landscape and rich history of the country,' according to a bill filed in the Senate calling for his release. He was arrested by the Taliban and held without charge. Taliban officials in the intelligence department told NBC News they believed he was a spy. Afghanistan's Foreign Affairs Ministry also said the move was a 'goodwill gesture' in a post on X at the time. In a statement, the Taliban said the meeting between the U.S. and Afghan officials was a 'significant step in rebuilding diplomatic engagement.' The Taliban has been in control of Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, since August 2021, when it ousted U.S.-backed President Ashraf Ghani shortly after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. 'Continued discussions could pave the way for broader political and economic cooperation between the two countries,' the Taliban statement from earlier this month added. The group has been eager to re-engage with foreign entities. Two other Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, were released from Afghanistan this year in a deal struck during the final days of the Biden administration in exchange for a member of the Taliban being held in U.S. custody. This article was originally published on
NBC News
29-03-2025
- Politics
- NBC News
Taliban releases American detained in Afghanistan
An American woman who has been held by the Taliban in Afghanistan has been freed, former U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said Saturday. 'American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home,' Khalilzad said in a post on X. His post featured a photo of Hall smiling and sitting between two men. It was not clear who the two men are. A Taliban spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that a female U.S. citizen was freed this week. The spokesperson said she was handed over to a group who negotiated her release with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Khalilzad did not give further details on the circumstances of Hall's release. The U.S. State Department did not immediately reply to NBC News' request for confirmation. Hall had been detained in Afghanistan since February on charges of using a drone without authorization, The Associated Press reported. President Donald Trump shared a video of Hall on his Truth Social account Saturday afternoon. In the video, Hall said she voted for Trump twice and that she is so happy he is in office, calling this 'the new era.' 'Thank you for bringing me home, and I've never been so proud to be an American citizen,' Hall said in the video posted by Trump. Earlier this month, American George Glezmann, who had been held by the Taliban for two years, was released in a separate deal brokered by Qatar. Officials from the Trump administration had been engaged with Taliban representatives to secure Glezmann's release. 'The Taliban government agreed to free him as a goodwill gesture to @POTUS and the American people,' Khalilzad said of Glezmann in a March 20 post on X. He was not part of a prisoner exchange. Glezmann was in the country in December 2022 on a five-day trip to 'explore the cultural landscape and rich history of the country,' according to a bill filed in the Senate calling for his release. He was arrested by the Taliban and held without charge. Taliban officials in the intelligence department told NBC News they believed he was a spy. Afghanistan's Foreign Affairs Ministry also said the move was a 'goodwill gesture' in a post on X at the time. In a statement, the Taliban said the meeting between the U.S. and Afghan officials was a 'significant step in rebuilding diplomatic engagement.' The Taliban has been in control of Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world, since August 2021, when it ousted U.S.-backed President Ashraf Ghani shortly after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. 'Continued discussions could pave the way for broader political and economic cooperation between the two countries,' the Taliban statement from earlier this month added. The group has been eager to re-engage with foreign entities. Two other Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, were released from Afghanistan this year in a deal struck during the final days of the Biden administration in exchange for a member of the Taliban being held in U.S. custody.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
American woman, detained in February by Taliban, released, source says
An American woman was freed by the Taliban after she, two British nationals and their Afghan translator were detained in Afghanistan earlier this year, according to a source with knowledge of the matter and a former U.S. envoy to Kabul. "American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home," Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been part of an American delegation working on Taliban hostage releases, wrote on X. Hall was detained in February along with Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who are in their 70s, as they traveled to the British couple's home in central Bamiyan province. Sources told CBS News that Hall was detained on charges of using a drone without authorization. Hall was released Thursday as part of a deal that Qatari negotiators helped broker, the source said. She was in "good health" after undergoing a series of medical checks. Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban's ambassador in Qatar, told CBS News that Hall was released as a "goodwill gesture." "Better for bilateral relations, that such gestures are reciprocated," Shaheen said. "Actually, after (the) liberation of our country, we are in a new phase of reconstruction of Afghanistan. We want to have positive relations with (the) U.S. and other countries. This is an area which needs to be explored." Khalilzad posted a picture of Hall smiling with Qatar representatives ahead of her departure from Afghanistan with his announcement. CBS News has reached out to the U.S. State Department for comment. Khalilzad had been in the Afghan capital earlier this month on a rare visit by U.S. officials to meet Taliban authorities, accompanying U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler. Following their visit, the Taliban government announced the release of U.S. citizen George Glezmann after a deal brokered by Qatar. Glezmann, an Atlanta native, had been in custody after being detained by Taliban authorities while on a tourist visit to Afghanistan in December 2022. The U.S. government had said Glezmaan had been wrongfully detained by the Taliban. Khalilzad called Glezmann's release "a goodwill gesture" to President Trump by the Taliban. Glezmann and Hall are two of several Americans to be released from Taliban custody this year. Two Americans detained in Afghanistan — Ryan Corbett and William McKenty — were released in January in exchange for a Taliban figure who had been imprisoned in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges. At least one other U.S. citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is still held in Afghanistan. The U.S. has said Habibi, who holds dual American and Afghan citizenship, has been "unjustly held" since 2022. In a public notice posted by the FBI in August 2024, the agency said it "believed" that Habibi was taken by Taliban military or security forces and "has not been heard from since his disappearance." The FBI said in its notice that Habibi was working as a contractor for a Kabul-based telecom company when he disappeared. The Taliban still say they do not have Habibi in custody. "No, we don't have him," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told CBS News in January. The British couple detained with Hall remain in Taliban custody. The Reynolds, who married in Kabul in 1970, have run school training programs in the country for 18 years. Their daughter has expressed grave fears for her father's health and appealed to the Taliban authorities to free them. They remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 when the British embassy withdrew its staff. The government in Kabul is not recognised by any country, but several including Russia, China and Turkey have kept their embassies open in the Afghan capital. Since Mr. Trump's re-election, the Kabul government has expressed hopes for a "new chapter" with Washington. Musk says some will get more Social Security benefits after DOGE, but many worry about access Deadly earthquakes rock Myanmar, Thailand Voice of America | Sunday on 60 Minutes
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US woman released by Taliban in Afghanistan
An American woman has been freed by the Taliban in Afghanistan after she, two Britons and their Afghan translator were detained earlier this year, Washington's former envoy to Kabul, Zalmay Khalilzad, said Saturday. "American citizen Faye Hall, just released by the Taliban, is now in the care of our friends, the Qataris in Kabul, and will soon be on her way home," Khalilzad, who has been part of a US delegation working on Taliban hostage releases, wrote on X. While at the Qatari embassy in Kabul, Hall "has been confirmed in good health after undergoing a series of medical checks," said a source with knowledge of the release. She was released on Thursday following a court order and with logistical support from Qatar, the source added. Hall, who has been identified by the Taliban's interior ministry as Chinese-American, was detained in February along with Peter and Barbie Reynolds, who are in their 70s, as they travelled to the British couple's home in central Bamiyan province. Their Afghan translator was additionally arrested. Taliban officials have refused to detail the reasons for their arrest, but one report said Hall had been detained on charges of using a drone without authorization. In his announcement, Khalilzad posted a picture of Hall smiling with Qatar representatives ahead of her departure from Afghanistan. - Hopes for 'new chapter' - Khalilzad had been in the Afghan capital earlier this month on a rare visit by US officials to meet Taliban authorities, accompanying US hostage envoy Adam Boehler. Following their visit, the Taliban government announced the release of US citizen George Glezmann after more than two years of detention, in a deal brokered by Qatar. He and Hall are among several Americans to be released from Taliban custody this year. In January, two Americans detained in Afghanistan -- Ryan Corbett and William McKenty -- were freed in exchange for an Afghan fighter, Khan Mohammed, who was convicted of narco-terrorism in the United States. At least one other US citizen, Mahmood Habibi, is still held in Afghanistan. The British couple detained with Hall remain in Taliban custody. Their daughter has expressed grave fears for her father's health and appealed to the Taliban authorities to free them. The Reynolds, who married in Kabul in 1970, have run school training programmes in the country for 18 years. They remained in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover in 2021 when the British embassy withdrew its staff. The government in Kabul is not recognized by any country, but several, including Russia, China and Turkey, have kept their embassies open in the Afghan capital. Qatar, too, has maintained diplomatic channels with the Taliban and has facilitated negotiations for the release of US hostages. Since US President Donald Trump's reelection, the Kabul government has expressed hopes for a "new chapter" with Washington. bur-bfm/sw/bbk/bfm
