American woman held in Afghanistan by the Taliban released

Washington, Mar 30 (AP) An American woman detained for weeks in Afghanistan by the Taliban has been released from custody, according to a person familiar with the matter and a social media post Saturday from a longtime US diplomat.

Faye Dail Hall, who was detained in February on charges of using a drone without authorization, was released Thursday as part of a deal that Qatari negotiators helped broker, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.

In a post on X, a former US ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, confirmed Hall's release with a photograph of her and said she would “soon be on her way home.” Hall is believed to be the fourth American released from Afghanistan since January.

Earlier this month, George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, was freed after more than two years in custody. That release follows a separate deal, executed on the final day of the Biden administration and also mediated by the Qataris, that secured the releases of Ryan Corbett and William McKenty.

Officials in Kabul, the Afghan capital, said recently that the United States had lifted bounties on three senior Taliban figures, including the interior minister, who also heads a powerful network blamed for attacks against Afghanistan's former Western-backed government. AP