The Biden administration is negotiating with Afghanistan to exchange Americans detained in the country for at least one high-profile prisoner held in Guantanamo Bay with alleged ties to former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Representatives of the White House and the U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.

Representatives for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) also did not immediately respond, WSJ reported.

Outgoing US President Joe Biden's administration is seeking the return of three Americans arrested in 2022 - Ryan Corbett, George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi - in exchange for Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani, the WSJ reported.

A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that the Biden administration has been negotiating with the IEA since at least July last year on a US proposal to exchange Corbett, Glezmann and Habibi for Rahim.

The IEA, who deny holding Habibi, countered with an offer to exchange Glezmann and Corbett for Rahim and two others, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In August last year, Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, said that they will release the prisoners in exchange for Afghans held by the United States.

“Two Americans who were found guilty in Afghanistan for violating Afghan laws are in prison. They are here. But if they want the release of the prisoners, we also have our own Afghans who are in American prisons and should be released.

“We don't have anyone named Habibi in our prisons. But investigation is ongoing to find out what happened in this regard,” Mujahid said.

A spokesperson for the National Security Council said they could not confirm the WSJ story, but added that the administration was "working around the clock" to secure the release of the three Americans.

Rahim's lawyer, James Connell, told Reuters that neither the Biden administration nor the IEA had informed him or Rahim of the negotiations.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has strongly rejected claims by Donald Trump that the ruling government is receiving “billions of dollars” from the United States.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the IEA’s deputy spokesman said: “The claims of billions and millions of dollars of aid to the Islamic Emirate from the US side are completely false and we strongly reject them.”

This comes after Trump said at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday that the US pays “billions of dollars essentially to the Taliban (IEA), Afghanistan.”

Trump implied that outgoing President Joe Biden’s decisions had inflicted severe economic damage on the United States, estimating that losses totalled up to $60 trillion.

Fitrat meanwhile said America has not paid a single dollar to the Islamic Emirate, but has seized and frozen billions of dollars from the people of Afghanistan.

The Islamic Emirate does not expect any help from America and has never asked for it, Fitrat said.

According to the IEA the money mentioned by Trump was to cover US expenses, including the withdrawal of troops and mass evacuation and resettlement process.

“Perhaps some of it has been spent by international organizations in the name of humanitarian aid,” Fitrat added.

“If analyzed carefully, America has spent all this money to achieve its goals in the name of Afghanistan, and is trying to spread propaganda against the Islamic Emirate,” said Fitrat.

Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights for Afghanistan, has emphasized the need to protect Afghan migrants in Pakistan and urged governments to treat them more humanely. 

Responding to reports of an uptick in forced deportations of Afghan migrants in Pakistan, he reiterated his call for Afghan refugees not to return to the country and emphasized the need for host countries to support them.

He also called on UN member countries to increase financial assistance and other aid to help support migrants. 

This comes amid reports of Pakistan’s ongoing campaign to forcibly deport Afghan migrants in the country. 

This week the Afghanistan embassy expressed “deep concern over the recent detention of approximately 800 Afghan nationals in Islamabad, including individuals holding valid visas, PoR, and ACC cards”.

The embassy stated that the lack of clarity surrounding NOC (No Objection Certificate) requirements/issuance process has led to troubling cases of arbitrary detention and deportation.

“Among those deported are 137 Afghan nationals whose visas had expired but who had already applied for extensions, as well as holders of temporary SHARP/UNHCR registration,” the embassy said.

Mistreatment of Afghan migrants must stop: Khalilzad