KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban said Saturday that it had reached agreement with U.S. envoys on an exchange of prisoners as part of an effort to normalize relations between the two countries, but the group provided no details about the detainees involved.
The Taliban released a statement saying Adam Boehler, President Donald Trump’s special envoy for hostage response, "confirmed that the two sides would undertake an exchange of detainees." The statement did not specify how many people would be exchanged, who they are or why they were imprisoned, and the White House did not comment on the meeting in Kabul or the results described by the Taliban.
Photographs released by the Taliban showed its foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, seated with Boehler and other officials. The group said the talks included "comprehensive discussions" on developing bilateral relations, issues related to citizens and investment opportunities in Afghanistan. The Taliban also said the U.S. delegation expressed condolences over a devastating earthquake in eastern Afghanistan late last month.
The announcement follows earlier gestures by the Taliban toward U.S. nationals: in March, the group released U.S. citizen George Glezmann, who had been abducted while traveling through Afghanistan. The Taliban said that release marked a third detainee freed by the group since Trump took office.
The reported agreement comes amid broader friction in bilateral ties. The Taliban has sharply criticized a recent U.S. travel ban that bars Afghans from entering the United States, and formal relations remain limited. The Taliban did not provide a timeline for when any exchange would occur nor outline mechanisms for carrying it out.
Independent verification of the Taliban statement and the details of any prisoner exchange could not be obtained. U.S. officials have frequently handled sensitive negotiations through special envoys and diplomatic intermediaries, and statements from the Taliban and the U.S. government have at times differed in scope and emphasis. As of Saturday, U.S. officials had not publicly confirmed the content of the talks beyond the images and the Taliban’s account.