An American Airlines mechanic has been released after being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for over two years. George Glezman, who was detained in December 2022 while visiting Afghanistan as a tourist, arrived by plane in Qatar on Thursday night and will subsequently return to the United States.
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03-25, 2025Glezman's release was confirmed after the Taliban government's foreign minister received U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler and other American officials in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The Taliban foreign ministry stated that Glezman's release was "for humanitarian reasons" and "a gesture of goodwill." U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the agreement "a positive and constructive step."
The meeting between the U.S. delegation and the Taliban represents the highest-level direct dialogue between the two sides since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. According to the Afghan foreign ministry, Boehler was accompanied at the meeting by Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. special envoy to Kabul. Since the Taliban regained power in 2021, contact between the two governments has typically taken place in other countries. Qatar indicated that it played a role in facilitating Glezman's release.
The Afghan foreign ministry added in a post on X that the agreement demonstrates "Afghanistan's readiness for sincere engagement with all parties, especially the United States of America, based on mutual respect and interests." Rubio stated that Glezman, the 65-year-old Delta Airlines mechanic, will soon be reunited with his wife, Alexandra, and thanked Qatar for its "significant" role in securing the release. He was photographed at Kabul airport on Thursday as he prepared to board a flight to Qatar, accompanied by Boehler, Khalilzad, and Qatari officials.
The James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, which monitors cases of Americans detained abroad, said that Glezman had "regular and limited phone contact" with his wife during his detention. His health was reportedly "significantly deteriorated during his detention" and there were "medical issues that require immediate care." Rubio added that Glezman's release "is also a reminder that other Americans remain detained in Afghanistan." One of those U.S. citizens is believed to be Mahmoud Habib, who was detained in August 2022. Prior to Trump taking office in January, two Americans, Ryan Corbett and William Wallace McCarty, were released from Afghanistan in exchange for an imprisoned Afghan in the United States named Khan Mohammed, who was serving a life sentence in a federal prison in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges.
