An American woman, Faye Hall, held by the Taliban since February, has been released, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Hall was freed on Thursday and taken to the Qatari embassy in Kabul. After medical evaluations, she is reportedly in good health. Plans are being made for her to return to the United States.
Reportedly, the Taliban agreed to release Hall after President Donald Trump removed multimillion-dollar bounties on high-ranking members of the group, according to a report by .
reported that the Trump administration removed millions of dollars in bounties on three senior members of the Haqqani network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister. Washington had offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.
Digital has not yet verified the agreement’s details and has contacted the and the State Department for comment.
According to a source, Hall’s release followed a court order and was facilitated by Qatar, acting as the United States’ protecting power in Afghanistan.
Hall was arrested on Feb. 1 along with a British couple, Peter Reynolds, 79, his wife Barbie, 75, and their interpreter, the outlet stated.
The Associated Press previously reported that the British couple ran education programs in Afghanistan through Rebuild, an organization offering education and training programs for businesses, government agencies, educational organizations, and NGOs.
The Sunday Times reported that one project focused on mothers and children, while the Taliban imposes severe restrictions on women’s education and activities in the country.
Hall’s relationship with the couple or their organization remains unclear.
The Telegraph reported that the couple’s detention was not due to any violations of local laws or religious customs but was a political maneuver by a faction seeking to increase international pressure on the government and its supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada.
The couple’s children appealed to the Taliban for their release in a letter, stating that their parents respected and obeyed the laws.
According to the Associated Press, the letter said, “They have chosen Afghanistan as their home, rather than with family in England, and they wish to spend the rest of their lives in Afghanistan.”
Hall’s release follows the Taliban’s release of , 65, last week, who had been held for over two years. This agreement also resulted from negotiations between the Trump administration and Qatari officials. Glezmann was abducted while visiting Kabul as a tourist on Dec. 5, 2022.
Earlier this year, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, two other Americans, were released in exchange for a Taliban member in U.S. custody in a last-minute deal negotiated by the Biden administration.
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