Secretary of State Marco Rubio has labeled Afghanistan's Taliban government as a "state sponsor of wrongful detention" over the imprisonment of American citizens. The designation could result in restrictions preventing US passport holders from traveling to Afghanistan, similar to current North Korea travel bans.
WASHINGTON – The United States has formally condemned Afghanistan’s Taliban government for holding American citizens captive, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio announcing Monday that this action could trigger a complete travel prohibition for US passport holders visiting the nation.
In his official statement, Rubio classified Afghanistan’s current leadership as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” and called for the immediate release of all detained Americans, specifically naming Mahmood Habibi and Dennis Coyle among those being held.
“The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions. These despicable tactics need to end,” Rubio declared, explaining that he had determined the country poses too great a risk for American travelers due to the threat of unjust imprisonment.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Washington is also demanding the return of Paul Overby’s remains, a writer who disappeared near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in 2014.
Officials indicated that passport restrictions for Afghanistan travel could be implemented if the Taliban fails to comply with US demands. Currently, only North Korea faces such travel limitations for American citizens.
This marks the second such designation under President Trump’s executive order from September, following a similar classification of Iran on February 27. While Rubio issued comparable warnings about potential Iran travel restrictions, no such measures have been enacted yet. The announcement preceded the US-Israel military action against Iran by one day.
The Afghan government could not be contacted for response to these developments.
Taliban officials have previously rejected claims that they are holding Habibi, who formerly served as Afghanistan’s civil aviation director.
CBS News initially broke the story about the potential designation earlier Monday.
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