""We know that he is innocent and he would not do anything wrong which could bring his life or his family's life at risk," Khan, 33, said at her home on Tuesday. "The U.S. government should bring him back.""
""The Taliban's unwillingness to release Mr. Habibi has been a major obstacle to improving U.S.-Taliban relations," said Lisa Curtis, a fellow at the Washington, D.C. think tank Center for a New American Security, a former high-level national security official in the first Trump administration and a former CIA senior analyst in Asia in the 1990s."
""The Trump administration will likely remain adamant that any concessions to the Taliban will hinge on whether Habibi is released.""
Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan-born U.S. citizen who led Afghanistan's civil aviation ministry, was arrested blindfolded by Taliban agents three years ago and has been held in Taliban custody. His wife, Zulhija Khan, lives in Soledad in the Salinas Valley with their daughter and remains without contact. Taliban officials announced a detainee exchange agreement, and analysts and sources familiar with talks say Habibi is likely included in U.S.-Taliban prisoner swap negotiations. The Taliban denies ever arresting him, while U.S. officials assert he is in Taliban custody. Habibi's detention has strained U.S.-Taliban relations and is a central obstacle in negotiations.
Read at The Mercury News
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