US Citizen To Be Freed From Taliban Custody Soon, Says Ex-Envoy Khalilzad
Former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad has announced that an American citizen currently held by the Taliban is expected to be released soon.
In a post on the social media platform X, Khalilzad cited the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the individual—identified as Faye Dai Hall—is set to be freed. He did not provide additional details, and it remains unclear how long Hall has been in Taliban custody or the reasons for their detention.
It is also unknown whether the Taliban are receiving anything in return for the release.
The most recent known case of a US citizen being released by the Taliban occurred on 20 March 2025, when George Glezmann was freed following a visit by a US diplomatic delegation to Kabul. At the time, the Trump administration did not release any Taliban prisoners in exchange. That visit marked the first official trip by a US delegation to Taliban-controlled Kabul, and Khalilzad, who was part of the team, described Glezmann’s release as a gesture of “goodwill” toward Trump.
In a previous exchange during the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency, the Taliban released two American detainees in return for the release of one of their imprisoned members.
However, the status of Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American citizen still believed to be in Taliban custody, remains unknown.
