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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has officially designated Afghanistan as a "state sponsor of wrongful detention", while calling on the ruling Taliban to immediately release US citizens who are currently being "unjustly detained".
In a release on Monday, Rubio condemned the actions of the Taliban, stating that the group "continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions." He further asserted that "these despicable tactics need to end" and warned that travel to the region remains unsafe for Americans. The US Secretary of State specifically demanded the release of Dennis Coyle, Mahmood Habibi, and "all Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan now and commit to cease the practice of hostage diplomacy forever." According to a report by The Hill, 64-year-old Dennis Coyle was taken into custody in January last year by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence. His family stated in the release that he was "legally working to support Afghan language communities as an academic researcher" and has not been charged with any crime. The State Department officially declared Coyle as wrongfully detained last June. The Hill noted that his family has raised serious concerns regarding his treatment, stating, "Dennis has been held in near-solitary conditions, requiring permission even to use the bathroom, and without access to adequate medical care." The case of Mahmood Habibi, a 38-year-old American citizen born in Afghanistan, was also highlighted. Habibi, a former director of civil aviation, was reportedly abducted from his vehicle in Kabul in August 2022. While 29 other employees from his firm were eventually released, Habibi's current "whereabouts or condition" remain unknown. The current situation follows the Taliban's return to power in 2021 after the US military withdrawal. The Hill reported that the conflict, the longest in American history, resulted in a massive expenditure of USD 2.3 trillion, based on data from the Costs of War Project at Brown University. The human cost of the two-decade war included the deaths of 2,324 US service members, 3,917 US contractors, and 46,319 civilians. Additionally, the long-term care for veterans is projected to cost between USD 2.2 trillion and USD 2.5 trillion by the year 2050. Despite the heavy investment and loss of life, a March 2025 report from the Congressional Research Service suggests the Taliban currently faces no "political or armed opposition that represent a serious threat to the group or its authoritarian rule." The report further notes that the regime continues to impose "severe restrictions" on Afghan women and girls. (ANI)
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