US and Taliban Reach Agreement to Release Al-Qaeda Leader’s Aide
The United States and the Afghan Taliban movement have concluded a prisoner exchange deal, under which the former assistant to the leader of Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, will be released.
The exchange was finalized on Monday and involves the release of Mohammed Rahim al-Afghani, who worked as a special assistant to Bin Laden, and another Afghan prisoner in exchange for the release of American detainee Ryan Corbett, who has been held by the Taliban for over a year and a half.
The agreement comes after months of talks between the two sides in Qatar. The exchange was finally announced after months of negotiations.
The Taliban arrested Corbett in August 2022, accusing him of spying for the United States and involvement in revealing the residence of former Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul.
Rahim’s release opens the door once again to the leadership of Al-Qaeda, which remains without a clear leader after the killing of Al-Zawahiri in Kabul in August 2022.
The United States is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the capture of Saif al-Adel, a former Egyptian special forces officer and a prominent figure in al-Qaeda’s old guard.
Al-Adel is believed to have played a role in building Al-Qaeda’s operational capacity and training some of the hijackers involved in the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.