Taliban refuse Trump’s demand to return US weapons

Afghanistan Taliban has reportedly refused to return any of the military equipment left behind by US troops during their exit from Afghanistan in 2021, according to a source familiar with the matter. The individual, who chose to remain anonymous, stated that relations between Kabul and the Trump administration are off to a shaky start.

Instead of retrieving the abandoned weapons, the source suggests that the US should consider providing the Taliban with more advanced weaponry to aid in their fight against the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), a local offshoot of the broader ISIS organization. This proposal highlights ongoing tensions and shifting alliances in the region.

Afghan Taliban member freed from US custody in exchange for two Americans, Kabul says

The United States has freed an Afghan convicted by an American court on charges of drug smuggling and terrorism in exchange for two U.S. citizens held in Afghanistan, authorities in Kabul said on Tuesday.

Afghan officials said the man, Khan Mohammad, had landed in Kabul after being released. Mohammad was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2008 by a U.S. court, which was the first conviction on narco-terrorism charges, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mohammad told local media organisation Hurriyat in a video interview on Tuesday that he had left prison on Jan. 16.

“Thanks to the support and assistance of the Islamic Emirate and, by God’s grace, I was freed,” he said, referring to the Taliban’s name for its government.

The prisoner exchange was the result of “long and productive” negotiations between Afghan and American authorities, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Mohammad was arrested in eastern Afghanistan in 2006 and extradited to the U.S a year later, according to the DOJ website.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban administration, confirmed that two Americans had been released, but declined to identify them.