US Designates Afghanistan A State Sponsor Of Wrongful Detention

US designates Afghanistan a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” The administration of Donald Trump has designated Afghanistan as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention,” accusing the ruling Taliban of detaining American citizens and using them as political leverage. The move was announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said the designation is intended to pressure the Taliban government to release Americans believed to be held in the country. Rubio accused the Taliban of using “hostage diplomacy detaining foreign nationals to extract concessions from governments. In a statement, he said the group had used “terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or policy concessions.” The United States called on the Taliban to release Americans believed to be in custody, including Dennis Coyle, an academic detained in Afghanistan since 2025, and Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman who disappeared in Kabul in 2022. The designation follows a new US policy aimed at countries accused of wrongfully detaining Americans abroad. Officials say the policy is designed to deter governments from abducting or imprisoning US citizens and using them as bargaining chips in diplomatic disputes. Afghanistan is the second country placed on the list, after the United States recently applied the same label to Iran.

The designation could lead to additional US pressure on the Taliban, including:

• stronger travel warnings for Americans
• diplomatic and economic pressure
• potential restrictions related to aid and international cooperation US officials have also warned that Afghanistan is unsafe for American travelers because of the risk of detention by Taliban authorities.

Taliban officials criticised the US decision, calling the designation “regrettable.” They said the issue of detained Americans should be resolved through dialogue rather than confrontation. Relations between the United States and the Taliban have remained tense since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and the Taliban’s return to power. American officials say the detention of foreign nationals has become a major obstacle to improving relations between Washington and Kabul.