Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on X @SeanMoran3
President Donald Trump on Thursday secured the release of an American hostage in Afghanistan, a diplomatic source exclusively revealed to Breitbart News.
American citizen George Glezmann was released after more than two years in Afghanistan; the release was negotiated through American and Qatari mediators.
“Today is a good day. We succeeded in obtaining the release of an American citizen, Georg Glezmann, after two years in detention in Kabul. The Taliban government agreed to free him as a goodwill gesture to @POTUS and the American people. George is on his way home to his family. @realDonaldTrump, has made the freedom and homecoming of Americans held abroad a high priority. It is an honor to assist in this important effort.” Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, wrote.
The Qataris have continued to facilitate communication and represent American diplomatic interests as America’s protecting power in Afghanistan. Diplomatic envoy Adam Boehler has remained in close contact with his Qatari counterparts to negotiate the release of Glezmann.
After weeks of negotiations, the Qataris struck a breakthrough during meetings with the Taliban.
Boehler will bring Glezmann back to the United States via Doha, Qatar along with a team from Qatar’s foreign ministry. The Qataris are providing logistical support for the repatriation, including flights from Kabul, Afghanistan to Doha and then finally to America. The Qataris provided medical professionals to monitor his condition on his return back to the United States.
U.S. Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler speaks during a U.S. hostage and wrongful detainee flag raising ceremony at the State Department in Washington, DC, on March 6, 2025. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
This is Boehler’s first direct engagement with the Taliban; after his success in negotiating the release of Glezmann, he personally traveled to Kabul to receive the release of the American hostage.
Qatar has maintained diplomatic channels with the Taliban after they took control of the country in 2021 to ensure humanitarian corridors remained open as well as to provide an avenue for sensitive negotiations such as hostage releases and facilitate international dialogue.
The James Foley Foundation, which aims to combat Americans being taken hostage abroad, described Glezmann as a 65-year old American citizen visiting Kabul when he was taken by the Taliban:
George was traveling lawfully in Afghanistan fulfilling his lifelong passion of visiting different countries and exploring various cultures and cultural artifacts. George has visited well over 100 countries and, in fulfillment of his passion for cultural exploration, he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology in 2017.
In January, the two Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, who were also held in Afghanistan, were released.
They were freed 24-hours after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, as Breitbart News reported.
