Marco Rubio singles out Afghanistan as a state sponsor of arbitrary detention

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has singled out Afghanistan as a “state sponsor of arbitrary detention,” accusing the Taliban of “unfairly” imprisoning Americans and other foreigners.

In his announcement on Monday, Rubio said the Taliban continued to use “terrorist tactics” that he insisted “need to stop.”

“I am designating Afghanistan as a State Sponsor of Arbitrary Imprisonment,” Rubio said in a statement. “The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping people for ransom or seeking political approval. These despicable tactics must stop.”

The secretary also called on the terrorist group to release Americans “wrongfully detained” in Afghanistan.

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“It is not safe for Americans to go to Afghanistan because the Taliban continue to imprison Americans and other foreigners arbitrarily,” he said. “The Taliban need to release Dennis Coyle, Mahmoud Habibi, and all Americans wrongfully detained in Afghanistan now and commit to ending the practice of human trafficking forever.”

Coyle, 64, has been detained for more than a year without charge by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence, according to his family, noting that he has not yet been charged. His family said he works legally to support Afghan language communities as an academic researcher.

Habibi, a 38-year-old American citizen born in Afghanistan, was taken along with his driver in their car in the capital Kabul in August 2022 by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence, according to the State Department.

The FBI said Habibi was previously the director of aviation in Afghanistan and worked for the Kabul-based communications firm Asia Consultancy Group. The FBI said the Taliban had detained 29 other company employees but had released most of them.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Taliban continues to use “terrorist tactics” and insisted they “need to stop.” (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

Habibi has not been heard from since his arrest, and the Taliban have not disclosed his whereabouts or condition, according to the State Department and the FBI. The Taliban have previously denied arresting Habibi.

The United States is also requesting the return of the remains of Paul Overby, a writer who was last seen near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in 2014, according to Reuters, citing two sources familiar with the situation.

The State Department could ban the use of American passports to Afghanistan if the Taliban does not meet the US government’s demands, sources told the media.

The limit for passports of this type is currently limited to North Korea.

The Taliban called Rubio’s decision to designate Afghanistan a “state sponsor of arbitrary detention” regrettable, adding that they wanted to resolve the issue through dialogue.

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The Taliban called the decision to designate Afghanistan as a “state sponsor of arbitrary detention” regrettable. (Reuters/Ali Khara)

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The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021 when US troops withdrew from the country, ending a 20-year war in the region.

Rubio labeled Iran a “state sponsor of arbitrary detention” late last month, just one day before the US-Israeli attack on the country. He warned that the US could restrict travel to Iran because of its ban on US citizens, but there have been no restrictions yet.

“The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans wrongfully imprisoned in Iran, steps that would end this appointment and the actions that go along with it,” Rubio said at the time.

Reuters contributed to this report.