The White House has secured the release American from an Afghan prison after he had been detained for nine months, in what the Taliban is offering as an act of good will.

Amir Amiry was wrongfully detained by the Taliban last December as it appears he had assisted American forces prior to the US exit from Afghanistan. "While this marks an important step forward, additional Americans remain unjustly detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will not rest until all our captive citizens are back home," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. Little info has been given as to why he was arrested.

Amiry marks the fifth US citizen released from Taliban custody this year, with the others being Ryan Corbett, William McKenty, George Glezmann and Faye Hall. It was reportedly done with Gulf and Qatari mediation.

Rubio further hailed it as “significant step by the administration in Kabul” to move forward on releasing other Americans, at a moment the US is in talks with Kabul. Trump is especially seeking to gain back an American military presence at the sprawling Bagram Airfield base, the largest in central Asia, for the purpose of 'counterterrorism' operations.

It's as yet unclear what the US offered the Taliban in return, but it could be part of some kind of broader economic or political deal in the works, which could ease sanctions pressure or international isolation of Kabul.

Reports say that at least three Americans, living and deceased, still remain in Afghanistan. The Hill reviews:

This includes Paul Overby, who is believed to be deceased, CNN reported.  Ahmad Habibi, the brother of Mahmood Habibi, a U.S. citizen held by the Taliban for more than three years, told the Associated Press that he and his family were grateful to hear the news about Amiry, and they remained hopeful that Mahmood would also return home. 

Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan-American business owner, worked as a contractor for a Kabul-based telecommunications company and vanished in 2022. The FBI and his family have said they believe he was taken by the Taliban, who have denied holding him, the AP reported.

Earlier this month, and to the surprise of many observers, President Trump began to frequently talk about Bagram base and getting it back.

A GITMO detainee may have been exchanged for American Amir Amory...

"We gave it to them for nothing," Trump had said in reference to the Taliban, after long criticizing the botched Biden-ordered US withdrawal from the country. "We want that base back," he said.

So far, the Taliban has rejected this possibility, with its foreign minister Zakir Jalaly saying that a foreign military presence has "never been accepted by Afghans in history, and this possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement, but doors to other engagements have been opened."