March 10, New Delhi – The United States has condemned Afghanistan over its detention of American citizens, a move that could result in a ban on U.S. passport holders traveling to the country.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement that he was designating Afghanistan’s Taliban government as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention,” and demanded that Kabul release all U.S. citizens detained in the country, including Mahmood Habibi and Dennis Coyle.
He added that the Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions, and said these despicable tactics need to end.
The Secretary of State also said that he had concluded that it is not safe for Americans to travel to Afghanistan due to the risk of being unjustly detained.