Faye Hall, a detained American citizen, has been released by the Taliban government after two months of confinement. She was originally arrested in February alongside British nationals, Barbie and Peter Reynolds, both in their seventies, and their Afghan interpreter. The couple has been involved in educational training programs for women and girls in Afghanistan, choosing to remain in the country following the Taliban's return to power in 2021. The reasons behind their detention have not been publicly disclosed by Afghan authorities.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, announced on social media platform X that Hall would "soon be heading home" and is currently under the care of Qatari officials, who acted as mediators in this instance. He expressed gratitude towards Qatar for facilitating the negotiations. Meanwhile, the US State Department has yet to offer any comments regarding the situation.
Hall's release marks the fourth case of a US citizen being freed by the Taliban since the beginning of 2023, with Qatar's involvement proving pivotal. Recently, another American, George Glezmann, was released under similar humanitarian grounds. These actions follow high-level talks between US officials and the Taliban, representing the most direct communication between the two nations since President Trump’s tenure.
The discussions come against a backdrop of past agreements, which have been criticized for their exclusion of Afghanistan's democratically elected government, hastily overtaken by the Taliban during the US military withdrawal in 2021. Hall’s traveling companions, Barbie and Peter Reynolds, have not yet been released. Their daughter, Sarah Entwistle, has described their dedication to staying and supporting Afghans in need, despite life-threatening conditions facing her father in detention. She has reached out to the Taliban, urging for their release and expressing deep concern for her father's severe health issues stemming from his imprisonment.
