A Taliban commander in Afghanistan's Helmand province said U.S. negotiators had "asked us to first release the American professor whom we kidnapped after an attack on American University in Kabul."
Like other militants NBC News interviewed, he spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to comment on negotiations.
The Taliban leader called the alleged demand "unrealistic" and said the militant group was putting peace talks aimed at ending America's longest war on ice.
Kevin King was kidnapped at gunpoint from the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul alongside Australian colleague Timothy Weeks in August 2016.
The Taliban have said King is seriously ill and previously commented that he requires hospital treatment for his heart disease. The Taliban leader said U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad had threatened the group if anything were to happen to King despite knowing that he was sick