A senior U.S. delegation held talks with officials of the Taliban-led government in Kabul on Saturday, signaling another round of engagement between the Trump administration and Afghanistan’s rulers. The meeting, which lasted several hours, addressed the fate of an imprisoned U.S. citizen while also touching on the broader contours of potential bilateral relations.
The delegation included Adam Boehler, the U.S. special envoy for hostage and detainee affairs, and Zalmay Khalilzad, the former U.S. special envoy for Afghan reconciliation who continues to serve in an advisory role under the Trump administration. They met with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdul Ghani Baradar.
At the center of discussions was the case of Afghan-American businessman Mahmoud Shah Habibi, who has been detained in Afghanistan since August 2022 and is believed to be the last U.S. citizen still imprisoned in the country. Sources described the talks as “frank and productive,” though no breakthrough was immediately reported.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry released a statement confirming the meeting, noting that “discussions were held on ways to develop bilateral relations between the two countries, issues related to citizens, and investment opportunities in Afghanistan.” While no formal agreements were announced, U.S. interest in Afghanistan’s vast rare earth mineral reserves reportedly came up in the talks—a sector that has long attracted attention in Washington and is said to be of particular interest to President Donald Trump.
Since returning to office in January, the Trump administration has secured the release of three U.S. citizens previously detained in Afghanistan. On January 21, Kabul freed contractors Ryan Corbett and William McKenty following negotiations that began under the Biden administration. In March, George Glezmann, a tourist detained in 2022, was also released in what Kabul described as a “goodwill gesture.”
Despite these incremental steps, major obstacles remain to normalized relations. The Taliban-led government has sought U.S. recognition and even requested control of the former Afghan embassy in Washington, D.C. However, Washington has shown little willingness to grant legitimacy to the Islamic Emirate. More than $9 billion in Afghan central bank reserves remain frozen in the U.S., and Afghanistan continues to face sweeping sanctions and trade restrictions imposed after the Taliban’s 2021 takeover.