KUWAIT: Kuwait has released a group of American prisoners, including veterans and military contractors who had been jailed for years on drug-related charges, in what is seen as a goodwill gesture between the two allied nations, a representative for the detainees told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Kuwait did not acknowledge the release on its state-run KUNA news agency and did not immediately respond to a request for comment by AP. The US State Department has not yet commented, and the names of the released prisoners were not immediately disclosed.

The release follows a recent regional visit by Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s top hostage envoy, and comes amid ongoing US efforts to bring home American citizens imprisoned abroad. Six of the freed prisoners were flown from Kuwait to New York, accompanied by Jonathan Franks, a private consultant specializing in cases of American hostages and detainees. “My clients and their families are grateful to the Kuwaiti government for this kind humanitarian gesture,” Franks said in a statement. He added that his clients maintain their innocence and that additional American detainees he represents are also expected to be released.

Kuwait, a major non-NATO ally of the United States, has maintained a close military relationship with Washington since the 1991 Gulf War to expel Iraqi troops after then-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the country. Kuwait hosts approximately 13,500 American troops at Camp Arifjan and Ali Al-Salem Air Base. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently reaffirmed the US commitment to Kuwait’s sovereignty and security.

However, Kuwait has strict drug laws and prohibits alcohol, leading to the detention of several American military contractors on drug charges. The US State Department warns travelers that such offenses in Kuwait can carry severe penalties, including long prison sentences and, in some cases, the death penalty.

The release follows similar efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to bring home detained Americans. Recently, the administration secured the release of American teacher Marc Fogel in a prisoner swap with Russia and facilitated the release of another US citizen from Belarus. The Americans freed from Kuwait had not been officially designated as wrongfully detained, a status that would have ensured their cases were handled by the US government’s special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.