An American man detained by the Taliban since late last year walked free Sunday after Qatari diplomats brokered his release, marking the fifth such U.S. citizen extraction from Afghan custody this year and spotlighting ongoing backchannel efforts amid a fragile diplomatic thaw.

Amir Amiry, whose arrest in December 2024 drew scant public detail, boarded a flight from Kabul en route to Doha and then the United States, flanked by U.S. hostage envoy Adam Boehler and a Qatari official in images shared by mediators.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed Qatar's "tireless" role, calling Amiry's hold "wrongful" while noting the Trump administration's push to spring remaining Americans from Taliban jails. Qatar's foreign ministry confirmed it spearheaded talks since March, including a pivotal Amiry-Boehler meet that unlocked the weekend breakthrough, per sources close to the process.

Amiry joins a string of releases: a January swap freed Ryan Corbett and another unnamed detainee for Taliban lifer Khan Mohammad, while George Glezmann exited in March alongside a third. Earlier this month, British expats Peter and Barbie Reynolds—longtime Afghan residents—also gained freedom through Doha.

Rubio underscored the human stakes, vowing no letup on "unjustly detained" compatriots as Washington navigates indirect channels with the Taliban, absent formal ties since the 2021 pullout.