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American Citizen Glezmann Freed by Taliban

A handout picture released by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows US citizen George Glezmann (C) posing for a picture with US official Adam Boehler (C-L), former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (C-R) and Qatari diplomats in Kabul on March 20, 2025, ahead of their departure to Doha. (Photo by QATARI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS / AFP)
A handout picture released by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows US citizen George Glezmann (C) posing for a picture with US official Adam Boehler (C-L), former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (C-R) and Qatari diplomats in Kabul on March 20, 2025, ahead of their departure to Doha. (Photo by QATARI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS / AFP)
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American Citizen Glezmann Freed by Taliban

A handout picture released by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows US citizen George Glezmann (C) posing for a picture with US official Adam Boehler (C-L), former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (C-R) and Qatari diplomats in Kabul on March 20, 2025, ahead of their departure to Doha. (Photo by QATARI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS / AFP)
A handout picture released by Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs shows US citizen George Glezmann (C) posing for a picture with US official Adam Boehler (C-L), former US envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad (C-R) and Qatari diplomats in Kabul on March 20, 2025, ahead of their departure to Doha. (Photo by QATARI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS / AFP)

The Taliban on Thursday freed an American citizen detained in Afghanistan for over two years following direct talks between US hostage envoy Adam Boehler and Taliban officials in Kabul, a source briefed on the release told Reuters.
George Glezmann, who was detained in 2022 while visiting Kabul as a tourist, left Afghanistan aboard a Qatari aircraft on Thursday evening bound for Qatar, the source said. Glezmann and Boehler are expected to later travel onward to the United States.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement on Thursday confirming Glezmann's release, Reuters reported.
Thursday's meeting in Kabul marked the highest-level direct talks between the United States and the Taliban since President Donald Trump came to power in January.
Boehler met with the Taliban administration's foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, according to a statement by the Afghan foreign ministry.
"During this meeting, discussions were held on Afghanistan-US bilateral relations, the release of prisoners, and the provision of consular services to Afghans in the United States," the statement said.
It added that the meeting was also attended by former US special representative to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
Qatar said in a statement posted on X that it had facilitated Glezmann's release.
In a statement, the Taliban called Glezmann's release a "goodwill gesture" reflecting its willingness to engage with the United States "on the basis of mutual respect and interests."

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‘This Is Not the Time to Go It Alone,’ NATO’s Rutte Tells US and Europe

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during join press conference with Poland's Prime Minister after their meeting in Warsaw, Poland, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during join press conference with Poland's Prime Minister after their meeting in Warsaw, Poland, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
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‘This Is Not the Time to Go It Alone,’ NATO’s Rutte Tells US and Europe

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during join press conference with Poland's Prime Minister after their meeting in Warsaw, Poland, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during join press conference with Poland's Prime Minister after their meeting in Warsaw, Poland, on March 26, 2025. (AFP)

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned the United States and Europe on Wednesday against any temptation to "go it alone" on security, amid increased tensions over the future of the transatlantic alliance.

US President Donald Trump recently cast doubt on Washington's willingness to defend NATO allies it deemed were not paying enough for their own defense, triggering alarm among European leaders about the future of the Atlantic alliance as they face up to a more assertive Russia.

Speaking at the Warsaw School of Economics, Rutte said the US needed European countries to "step up" on security and that the alliance must become fairer.

"Let me be absolutely clear, this is not the time to go it alone. Not for Europe or North America," Rutte said.

"The global security challenges are too great for any of us to face on our own. When it comes to keeping Europe and North America safe, there is no alternative to NATO," he added.

A number of European countries including Germany and Britain have announced plans to hike defense spending as Trump seeks a rapprochement with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in his efforts to end the three-year-old Ukraine war.

Trump has previously said members of the NATO alliance should spend 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense – a significant increase from the current 2% target and a level that no NATO country, including the United States, currently meets.

"Yes, Europe needs to know that Uncle Sam still has our back. But America also needs to know that its NATO allies will step up," Rutte said, adding that the alliance's June summit in The Hague would prove a seminal moment in its history.

"We will begin a new chapter for our transatlantic alliance, where we build a stronger, fairer and more lethal NATO," the former Dutch prime minister said. "A fairer NATO means all allies doing their fair share."