$5 million reward for kidnapped American in Afghanistan

The United States announced yesterday that it is offering a reward of up to $5 million for any information leading to the location of an American kidnapped in Afghanistan since 2022.

American businessman Mahmoud Shah Habibi, who also holds Afghan citizenship, was kidnapped in a vehicle along with his driver in Kabul on August 10, 2022, and held by the Taliban, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.

He stated that Habibi worked as a consultant in a telecommunications company based in Kabul.

“We have not heard from him since his initial arrest and the Taliban have yet to provide any information on his whereabouts or health status,” Bruce said.

According to information obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, the Taliban government released two Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McEntee, in January in exchange for the release of an Afghan detainee in the United States, as part of a swap brokered by Qatar.

Taliban authorities have detained dozens of foreigners since they returned to power in August 2021 following the withdrawal of US forces.

Since its inception in 1984, the Rewards for Justice program has paid more than $250 million to more than 125 individuals worldwide for providing information that helped solve threats to U.S. national security, the State Department said.