Americans detained in Afghanistan remain a priority, says State Dept

WASHINGTON: The United States raises the cases of three detained US citizens in every engagement with the Taliban, and securing their release will remain a top priority, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday.

Americans Ryan Corbett and Mahmood Habibi were detained in separate incidents in August 2022 a year after the Taliban seized Kabul amid a chaotic US withdrawal. A third American, George Glezmann, was detained later in 2022 while visiting as a tourist.

“We are deeply concerned about the well-being of Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan - Mahmood, Ryan and George Glezmann - and raise their detentions at every engagement we have with the Taliban,” Miller said at a press briefing, ahead of the two-year anniversary of Corbett and Habibi’s detention on Aug 10.

“Bringing them home will continue to be a top priority for the United States as we work to obtain their release,” Miller said.

The UN Special Rapporteur on torture said in June that Corbett, who lived in Afghanistan for more than a decade and worked for nongovernmental organisations, needed immediate medical care to prevent irreparable harm to his health or even his death.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Corbett’s wife, Anna, in Washington this week, Miller said.