US designates Afghanistan as ‘State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention’

2026-03-10 - 01:14

WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the Afghanistan has been formally designated as a “State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention,” accusing the Taliban of using detention of foreign nationals as a tool to pressure Washington. In a statement shared on social media on Tuesday, Rubio said the Taliban continue to rely on tactics similar to those used by terrorist groups in an effort to gain policy concessions from the United States. He stressed that such actions would not succeed under the current US administration. Rubio also called for the immediate release of Americans being held in Afghanistan, specifically naming Dennis Coyle and Mahmood Habibi. He said both men, along with other US citizens, are being unjustly detained by the Taliban authorities. The US secretary of state urged the Taliban to free all American detainees, reiterating Washington’s demand for their immediate release.