Taliban Releases US Citizen Wrongfully Detained in Afghanistan

Qatar played a vital role in securing Amir Amiry’s release, according to the U.S. State Department.

(L-R) U.S. citizen Amir Amiry, an unidentified woman, U.S. special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler, Deputy Assistant to the U.S. President Sebastian Gorka, and a Qatari diplomat aboard a plane after Amiry was released from an Afghan prison, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sept. 28, 2025. Qatar Foreign Ministry via AP

The Taliban on Sept. 28 released an American citizen who had been wrongfully detained in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. State Department.

Amir Amiry’s release was facilitated through mediation by Qatar, according to the department, which gave no details on when Amiry was detained or what led to his detention in Afghanistan.