Department of State welcomes the release of a US citizen who was held in Afghanistan for months

The Department of State announced the release of a U.S. citizen detained in Afghanistan. He is Amir Amiry, 36, who has been imprisoned in Kabul since December 2024. With the help of Qatar as a mediator with the Taliban, the Trump administration negotiated for months for his return to the country.

The Qatari government released a photo of Amiry, who has now been released, posing while traveling on a plane alongside Adam Boehler, the U.S. special envoy for kidnap response; Sebastian Gorka, a White House official; and a Qatari diplomat.

While the circumstances of Amiry's detention are still unclear, the White House remarked that Donald Trump will continue to fight to repatriate Americans "unjustly" detained overseas.

"This homecoming reflects this Administration's determination, reinforced by the President's recent Executive Order, to protect U.S. nationals from wrongful detention abroad. While this marks an important step forward, additional Americans remain unjustly detained in Afghanistan," the Department of State celebrated in a statement.

"President Trump will not rest until all our captive citizens are back home. This release today is a significant step by the administration in Kabul to effect that goal," they added.

Regarding the details of the release, Hamdullah Fitrat, the deputy spokesman for the Taliban, noted that "the Government of Afghanistan does not view issues concerning foreign nationals from a political perspective and reiterated that diplomacy provides pathways for resolving such matters."

Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, Qatar's minister of state, said his country "remains committed to advancing mediation efforts aimed at achieving peaceful solutions to conflicts and complex international issues."

According to CNN, there are three other U.S. detainees in Afghanistan, in addition to Paul Overby, who is believed to be deceased.