PNN – Simultaneously with the release of two American citizens by the Taliban’s caretaker government, the US State Department removed the name of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the government’s interior minister, from the list of wanted persons; a move that analysts believe is a sign of diplomatic openness between Washington and Kabul.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network from the Afghan Voice News Agency (AVA), the Long War Journal and CNN, two American media outlets, have, in separate reports, considered the recent move by the US government to remove the $10 million bounty set for Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Interior Minister of the Taliban caretaker government, as a sign of a change in Washington’s approach towards the Taliban caretaker government of Afghanistan.
The Long War Journal wrote: The Trump administration appears to be continuing the Biden administration’s approach of engagement with the Taliban caretaker government, a policy that led to the Doha Agreement in 2020 and paved the way for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan in 2021. Last week, the US State Department removed the $10 million bounty on Sirajuddin Haqqani without prior notice, a move that coincided with the release of an American tourist named George Golzman.
According to the report, Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US representative for Afghanistan and one of the architects of the Doha agreement, traveled to Kabul in late March with Adam Buhler, the US special representative for hostage affairs, and succeeded in securing the release of Golzman, who had been in detention since 2022.
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The Long War Journal also added: The removal of the bounties set for three senior members of the Haqqani Network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, followed the release of another American citizen, Fay Dale Hall, who had been in the custody of the Taliban caretaker government since February 2025.
According to the magazine, despite rumors of differences between Haibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban government, and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the two have worked together over the past three years to pave the way for the military defeat of the United States, NATO, and their Afghan allies.
Meanwhile, CNN, in a report referring to the American delegation’s visit to Kabul, wrote that these talks are experimental in nature, but a “positive path” is being observed in the interaction with the Taliban caretaker government.
According to an unnamed American official, during negotiations on the release of American citizens, the Taliban delegation once again demanded official recognition from Washington and also proposed establishing an office to handle the affairs of Afghan refugees in the United States. This office will most likely be located outside of Washington and will not be of the same nature as an embassy.
CNN added that establishing formal relations with the Taliban caretaker government could be one of the most profound changes in US foreign relations since the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021; a war that lasted nearly 20 years and killed more than 2,500 American soldiers.
The media outlet concluded by emphasizing that although the United States has canceled the bounties set for some members of the Taliban caretaker government after the release of its citizens, there is a possibility that these individuals will return to the list of most wanted terrorists if other American citizens are not released.