The Trump administration designated Afghanistan as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention on Monday, accusing the Taliban of holding American citizens as bargaining chips. Afghanistan became only the second country to receive the designation, following Iran on February 27.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the decision on U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day and warned Americans against traveling to the country.
“The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions,” Rubio stated in a press release. “These despicable tactics need to end.”
Today, I am designating Afghanistan as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention. The Taliban continue to use terrorist tactics to seek policy concessions, but it won’t work under this administration. The Taliban must release Dennis Coyle, Mahmood Habibi, and all Americans unjustly…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) March 9, 2026
Rubio demanded the immediate release of Dennis Coyle and Mahmood Habibi.
Coyle, a 64-year-old academic researcher, was detained in January 2025. His family said he has been held in near-solitary confinement without charges.
Habibi, an Afghan American businessman who worked for a Kabul-based telecommunications firm, vanished in August 2022. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) believes he was taken by Taliban forces, though the Taliban denies holding him. The State Department is offering $5 million for information on his whereabouts.
United States Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz addressed the U.N. Security Council on the same day, accusing the Taliban of practicing “hostage diplomacy.” Waltz questioned whether Afghanistan should receive $1 billion in humanitarian aid while its government denies basic rights to women.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the designation “regrettable” on Tuesday and denied detaining foreign nationals for leverage.
“No foreign nationals have been detained for purposes of a deal,” the ministry stated. “Certain individuals have been detained on charges of violating established laws.”
The ministry expressed hope for resolution through dialogue. At a July U.N.-led meeting in Doha, Taliban representatives proposed exchanging Afghans held at Guantanamo Bay for Americans detained in Afghanistan.
The designation allows the administration to impose travel restrictions similar to those on North Korea, where American citizens cannot travel without special government approval.
