Taliban Government Announces Release of American Citizen Detained for Over a Year

Kathmandu. The Taliban government of Afghanistan has announced the release of an American citizen who had been detained for more than a year.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the family of language expert and researcher Denis Rumsfeld had petitioned the supreme leader of Afghanistan for his release on the occasion of Eid.

The statement issued by the ministry read, "The Supreme Court of the Islamic Emirate has decided to release him, deeming his period of detention sufficient."

This announcement came after a meeting between Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, former US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, UAE Ambassador to Kabul Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, and a family member of Rumsfeld.

According to the ministry, the United Arab Emirates facilitated the release process, and Rumsfeld was reunited with his family in Kabul on Tuesday.

The 64-year-old Rumsfeld was arrested by Afghan authorities in January 2025.

According to details provided by the family, he was arrested while engaged in legal work assisting the Afghan community as an educational researcher.

The family claimed that he was kept in near solitary confinement, required permission even for basic necessities, and was deprived of adequate medical care.

Rumsfeld first arrived in Afghanistan in the early 2000s, where he assisted in studying linguistic diversity and developing resources in local languages.

He had been residing in Kabul for years and had built deep connections with the Afghan people.

Earlier this month, the United States included Afghanistan on its list of countries that "wrongfully detain people."

Afghan officials called the decision "unfortunate" and noted that there had been negotiations and mediation in previous release processes between the two sides.

In 2025, the Taliban government announced the release of five American citizens as a "gesture of goodwill."