U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has labeled Afghanistan as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention,” asserting that the Taliban is “unjustly” holding American citizens and other foreign nationals captive.
During his announcement on Monday, Rubio stated that the Taliban continues to employ “terrorist tactics,” which he insisted “need to end.”
“I am designating Afghanistan as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention,” Rubio declared in a statement. “The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions. These despicable tactics need to end.”
The Secretary also urged the group to release two Americans who are “unjustly detained” in Afghanistan.
“It is not safe for Americans to travel to Afghanistan because the Taliban continues to unjustly detain our fellow Americans and other foreign nationals,” he stated. “The Taliban needs to release Dennis Coyle, Mahmoud Habibi, and all Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan now and commit to cease the practice of hostage diplomacy forever.”
Coyle, aged 64, was apprehended over a year ago without charges by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence, according to his family, who noted that he has still not been formally charged. His family indicated that he was legally engaged in academic research to support Afghan language communities.
Habibi, a 38-year-old American citizen born in Afghanistan, was taken along with his driver from their vehicle in Kabul in August 2022 by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence, as reported by the State Department.
The FBI indicated that Habibi previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation and was employed by the Kabul-based telecommunications firm Asia Consultancy Group. The FBI also stated that the Taliban detained 29 other employees from the company, though most have since been released.
Habibi has not been heard from since his arrest, and the Taliban has not revealed his whereabouts or condition, according to the State Department and FBI. The Taliban has previously denied detaining Habibi.
The U.S. is also requesting the return of the remains of Paul Overby, an author who was last seen near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan in 2014, according to Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the matter.
Sources informed Reuters that the State Department might impose restrictions on the use of U.S. passports for travel to Afghanistan if the Taliban does not comply with the U.S. government’s demands.
Currently, such a passport restriction is only in effect for North Korea.
The Taliban described Rubio’s decision to designate Afghanistan as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” as regrettable, expressing a desire to resolve the issue through dialogue.
The Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan in 2021 amidst the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. military forces from the country, which concluded a 20-year war in the region.
Rubio had previously applied the “state sponsor of wrongful detention” designation to Iran late last month, just one day prior to U.S.-Israeli strikes in the country. At that time, he cautioned that the U.S. could restrict travel to Iran due to its detention of U.S. citizens, though no restrictions have been implemented yet.
“The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions,” Rubio stated at the time.
Reuters contributed to this report.