The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it had secured the release of 66-year-old George Glezmann, a U.S. citizen who has been held captive by the Taliban since 2022.
“Today, after two and a half years of captivity in Afghanistan, Delta Airlines mechanic George Glezmann is on his way to be reunited with his wife, Aleksandra,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
“George joins American Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, who were released from Afghanistan on the night of President Trump’s inauguration and returned home to their families,” he continued.
Glezmann was visiting Kabul as a tourist when he was detained by the Taliban on December 5, 2022, and held without cause or being charged, according to the Foley Foundation. He was in Afghanistan to fulfill his dream of visiting every country, having already been to “well over 100,” the group said.
A resident of Atlanta, Georgia, Glezmann has had very limited contact with his family while in captivity, and his health has “deteriorated significantly while he had been in detention, and he has medical issues that require immediate care.”
Rubio said that Qatar played an “instrumental” role in getting Glezmann released after he was detained by the Taliban nearly a year and a half after former President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“George’s release is a positive and constructive step,” Rubio added. “It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will continue his tireless work to free ALL Americans unjustly detained around the world.”
Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who assisted in the effort, said that the Taliban decided to free Glezmann as “a goodwill gesture” to President Donald Trump and the American people.
“@realDonaldTrump has made the freedom and homecoming of Americans held abroad a high priority,” he posted on social media. “It is an honor to assist in this important effort.”
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