United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a tweet on March 10, 2026, designated Afghanistan as a state sponsor of Wrongful Detention.
He further added that the Taliban use terrorist tactics to seek policy concessions. He then demanded the release of Dennis Coyle, Mahmood Habibi, and all Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan.
Not just Marco Rubio, but the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs also tweeted about this. They said We have told the Taliban that hostage diplomacy is unacceptable. And that they meant it. They as Marco Rubio also said that they are designating Afghanistan a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention.
Giving a warning that harsh consequences will follow. It was also made clear by them that any others who engage in this horrific practice will be put on notice.
The US is also pursuing the return of the remains of Paul Overby, an author last seen near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan in 2014, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
The sources said the US could limit the use of American passports for travel to Afghanistan if its demands are not met. Currently, such a restriction applies only to North Korea.
On February 27, Rubio made a similar determination against Iran, the first country designated under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in September.
He cautioned the US might restrict travel to Iran over its detention of Americans, but no restrictions have yet been enforced.
The US and Israel launched military action against Iran the day after the determination.
The Taliban has previously denied holding Habibi, who served as head of Afghanistan’s civil aviation.
CBS News first reported Monday that the US was considering labelling Afghanistan as a state sponsor of wrongful detention.
