An American man who was detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan has been released after more than 2 years in captivity.
1. WHO IS HE?
George Glezmann is a Delta Airlines mechanic from Atlanta. He is 65 years old. The US citizen has a degree in cultural anthropology along with an Associate of Science degree in aeronautics. He has a passion for exploring different cultures and has visited more than 100 countries. He is now reunited with his wife, Aleksandra, and other family members in his homeland America.
2. WHEN WAS HE DETAINED?
George had visited Afghanistan as a tourist in 2022 and had planned to stay there for 5 days. He was travelling through the country when Taliban’s intelligence service picked him up on December 5, 2022.
3. WHY WAS HE DETAINED?
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said George was “wrongfully detained”. According to James W. Foley Legacy Foundation, the US citizen was held “without just cause or formal charge”.
4. HIS ORDEAL
According to a release, the Taliban had jailed George in a 9-foot-by-9-foot cell with other detainees and sometimes held him in “solitary confinement and underground for months at a time.”
While in custody, he suffered from “from facial tumors, hypertension, severe malnutrition and other medical conditions”. Further, he experienced a rapid decline in his physical and mental health.
5. HOW WAS HE RELEASED?
His release is a result of extensive negotiations brokered by special hostage envoy Adam Boehler.
Boehler and former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad met Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari and Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to finalize George’s release.
George is the third US citizen released by the Taliban since January, as part of agreements brokered by Qatar.
Earlier, American citizens Ryan Corbett and William McKenty were released from Afghanistan on the night of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. However, the deal to release the duo was reached during Joe Biden’s administration.
6. WHAT DID HE SAY AFTER FREEDOM?
Pic- George (centre) at Kabul airport after freedom
After landing in America, George said that he feels like he has been born again. He added, “I’ve no words.”
I feel like I’ve been born again.”
About his ordeal in Taliban’s captivity, he said,
You lose hope. As time goes by…nothing happens…Then hope comes back and goes again…The mind games they play with you…But in the end, I’m home.”
A video showed George holding America’s flag while sharing an emotional reunion with his wife as he hugged her after returning to the American soil. He said his wife is the one who never lost hope.
Further, he said he’s in debt with President Donald Trump. He added, “Thank God [Trump] is in the White House.” The freed man also thanked Marco Rubio, US negotiators and his company Delta Airlines for supporting his family since Day 1.
I’m a free American…Independent…Free from the hands of…people who abducted me because of my US passport.”
7. WHAT DID THE TALIBAN SAY?
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry said George’s release was “on humanitarian grounds” and “a goodwill gesture”. It claimed this shows Afghanistan’s readiness to engage all sides, particularly America, on the basis of mutual respect and interests.
8. WHAT DID THE US GOVT SAY?
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called George’s release a “positive and constructive” step. He added, “It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan.” He assured that the Trump government is working “tirelessly” to free all Americans wrongly detained around the world.
9. WHAT DID HIS WIFE SAY?
While George was on his way back home, his wife said, “I can’t wait to see George and help him on his road to recovery as we rebuild our lives.” She added, “We are forever grateful to President Trump for bringing George home.”
10. MAHMOOD HABIBI
There are still more American captives in Afghanistan like a civil aviation engineer named Mahmood Habibi.
As per the US government, Habibi was “wrongfully” detained by the Taliban on August 10, 2022 because the Taliban made an assumption that Habibi’s employer might have been involved in the United States drone strike in Kabul that killed an Al-Qaeda leader.
The government noted that Habibi has “lived a noble life in service of his home country Afghanistan by contributing to the aviation needs of the Afghan population.”
Habibi, who worked for the United States Federal Aviation Administration in Afghanistan and went on to serve as head of Afghanistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, was arrested from outside his home in Afghanistan. Further, his laptop and paperwork were seized. The US government has called for his “immediate release”.
Pic- Habibi with his daughter, 2 months before his arrest
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