The two were exchanged for a man arrested in eastern Afghanistan two decades ago who has been serving a life sentence in a California prison.

Fighters from the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, control the crowd while Red Cross vehicles come to collect Israeli hostages to be released under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Abed Hajjar, File)

In the very last hours of President Joe Biden’s time in office, a prisoner exchange years in the making was finally struck: the Taliban agreed to swap two Americans being held in Afghanistan for one Taliban member serving a life sentence in a US prison.

A prisoner swap between the United States and Afghanistan's Taliban freed two Americans – including a man from Western New York – in exchange for a Taliban figure imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges,

The deal to release two Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, was brokered by Joe Biden 's administration ... negotiations in Qatar, according to a former senior Biden administration ...

Before Biden left office, his administration had been ... Corbett and McKenty late last week following negotiations in Qatar, according to a former senior Biden administration official who was ...

The deal to release two Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, was brokered by Joe Biden ‘s ... following negotiations in Qatar, according to a former senior Biden administration official ...

The first stage of a cease-fire deal between Hamas and the Israeli government has gone into effect, but there is still no guarantee the remaining phases of the deal will be completed, leading to a permanent cease-fire.

A Qatari official has told Newsweek that the country at the center of the recently established ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement will support President Donald Trump in pushing both sides to adhere to the truce.

Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement just days ahead of Trump taking office. The conflict had raged in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, in the wake of a Hamas raid on Israel that saw it seize roughly 250 hostages and kill more than 1,200 civilians.

Qatar might be a small country in the gulf region but they have played a critical role in negotiating on high stakes issues the last few years. […]

“Republicans exposed how Joe Biden sold out the American people by allowing his family ... Jared Kushner disclosed that his firm had raised an additional $1.5 billion from the Qatar Investment Authority and Lunate, a company based in Abu Dhabi.”