Trump Administration offers $5 million reward for information on Mahmood Shah Habibi, US businessman kidnapped by the Taliban

This Wednesday, the U.S. State Department issued a statement offering a five million-dollar reward to locate an American businessman who went missing in Afghanistan.

The U.S. State Department's Rewards for Justice (RFJ) program announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the location, recovery and safe return of Mahmood Shah Habibi, an American businessman abducted in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 10, 2022.

According to the statement, Habibi was captured along with his driver by the Taliban's General Intelligence Directorate while they were traveling in their vehicle. At the time of his abduction, he was working as a consultant for a Kabul-based telecommunications company.

Since his initial abduction, there has been no word on his whereabouts or health status, and no information has been provided by Taliban authorities.

During a briefing, Tammy Bruce, a State Department spokeswoman stated, "the so-called Taliban government has not yet provided any information about Mr. Habibi's whereabouts or condition."

In January this year, Taliban representatives reiterated to U.S. media that they had no record of Habibi's abduction, despite State Department claims to the contrary.

For their part, Habibi's family has asked U.S. diplomats and officials to press the Taliban to acknowledge the case and provide verifiable information about the kidnapping.

Trump administration negotiates to free Americans

Since President Donald Trump took office in the White House, he began negotiations to release Americans detained in Afghanistan. In March this year, American Faye Hall, who had been held since February, was released and transferred to the Qatar embassy in Kabul bound for the U.S.

Hall's release follows that of George Glezmann, a U.S. citizen held for more than two years and also released in March, following negotiations between the Trump Administration and Qatari officials.

Also, earlier this year, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, two other Americans, were released through a prisoner swap agreed to by the Biden Administration.

Qatar facilitated the logistics for Hall's departure, cementing its role in international negotiations with the Taliban regime.