WASHINGTON – A US citizen held by the Taliban in Afghanistan for nine months has been released following negotiations led by Qatari mediators, officials say.

The man, identified as Amir Amiry, is the fifth American to be freed from detention in Afghanistan this year. He was on his way back to the US on Sunday.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Qatar for its "tireless diplomatic efforts", which he said were crucial in securing Mr Amiry's release.

The reason for Mr Amiry's detention remains unclear. Rubio said that he had been "wrongfully detained".

The secretary of state added that more US citizens remain "unjustly detained" in Afghanistan and that the Trump administration was working on securing their release.

Qatar's foreign ministry said it had facilitated the release of Mr Amiry and that he was on his way to Doha before travelling to the US.

Qatar began negotiating Mr Amiry's release in March – first arranging a meeting between Mr Amiry and US hostage envoy Adam Boehler, sources told CBS news, the BBC's US partner.

A breakthrough in negotiations was reached this weekend, sources told CBS, which led to Mr Amiry's release.

It comes after two American citizens were freed in a prisoner swap between the US and the Taliban in January. One of the detainees, Ryan Corbett, was abducted in 2022 while on a work trip.

The US released Khan Mohammad, a Taliban figure who was imprisoned for life in California on drug trafficking and terrorism charges, in exchange, the Associated Press reported.

Two other Americans were released later in March. Among them was George Glezmann, who was detained during a tourist visit to Afghanistan in 2022.

A British couple, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, were released earlier this month, also through Qatari mediation. They had lived in Afghanistan for nearly two decades. – BBC