&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US slams Afghanistan for 'terrorist tactics' designates it 'State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention'")
The United States on Monday (Mar 9) designated Afghanistan as a "State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention" while demanding that the Taliban government release two American citizens. Calling on Kabul to end its "hostage diplomacy", Secretary of the US State Department Marco Rubio alleged that the Taliban continues to kidnap people "to seek policy concessions". This comes just over a week after America, for the first time, added Iran to its new "wrongful detention" blacklist. The list was created via US President Donald Trump's executive order in September 2025.
Afghanistan's "terrorist tactics"
In a statement, Rubio alleged that the "Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions".
He said that it was not safe for American citizens to travel to Afghanistan because "the Taliban continues to unjustly detain our fellow Americans and other foreign nationals."
Rubio called for the release of "Dennis Coyle, Mahmoud Habibi, and all Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan now and commit to cease the practice of hostage diplomacy forever".
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Who is Mahmoud Habibi?
An Afghan-American citizen, Mahmoud Habibi, previously served as Afghanistan's director of civil aviation. According to US authorities, Habibi, along with dozens of other employees of his telecommunications firm, was arrested in August 2022 — a year after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Previously, the US State Department had issued a $5 million reward for any information that may lead to Habibi's return to America.
Who is Dennis Coyle?
Dennis Coyle is an academic from Colorado. According to the James Foley Foundation, he worked in Afghanistan for over two decades before being detained by the Taliban in January 2025.
