President Joe Biden is reportedly trying to negotiate a hostage deal with the Taliban to bring home three Americans in exchange for an alleged Osama bin Laden associate who has been held in Guantanamo Bay since 2008.
Among his last acts as president, and in keeping with his promise to bring home every wrongfully detained American, Biden is trying to work out a deal to bring home George Glezmann, Ryan Corbett and Mahmoud Habibi, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In exchange, the U.S. would hand over Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, who the U.S. designated a close associate of bin Laden with ties to al-Qaeda. Rahim has denied this and maintained he only worked as a linguist in Afghanistan.
Talks about the exchange have been ongoing since at least July but National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on December 17 that Biden was still contemplating the deal, sources familiar with the classified hearing told the WSJ.
Rahim is considered a high-profile prisoner and releasing him could lead to signficant criticism.
But the families of Glezmann, Corbett and Habibi are desperate for the men to come home. They have been advocating for them for the last two years.
Glezmann, 65, is a Delta Air Lines mechanic who was captured in December 2022 while visiting Afghanistan.
Corbett, 40, is a consultant who was traveling with a German colleague when he was taken by the Taliban in August 2022.
Habibi, 37, disappeared in August 2022 after the U.S. killed an al-Qaeda leader in a strike in Kabul. The U.S. military believes Habibi was taken by the Afghan military and then handed over to the Taliban.
However, the Taliban denies having Habibi.
In exchange for Glezmann and Corbett, the Taliban has asked for Rahim – something they have long sought.
Rahim was captured in 2007 with the belief that he had pivotal information related to 9/11, al-Qaeda and bin Laden. U.S. intelligence indicated Rahim allegedly worked for senior members of al-Qaeda as a translator, courier, facilitator and operative. They alleged he helped bin Laden escape from U.S. apprehension.
The Period Review Board, the board that recommends prisoner status at Guantanamo Bay, has repeatedly deemed Rahim “a significant threat to national security.”
Rahim was subjected to the C.I.A.’s “enhanced interrogation techniques” through sleep deprivation, dietary manipulation, facial slap and more, according to a 2014 report on the C.I.A.’s interrogation program. The techniques did not result in any significant information from Rahim.
A lawyer who represents Rahim, James Connell, told the WSJ that the charges against his client are “largely exaggerated” and there has been “no evidence” that he is a close facilitator.
The Independent has asked the White House for comment.
So far, the Biden administration has facilitated the release of more than 70 Americans who have been held hostage or been wrongfully detained from places across the globe.
