Marco Rubio announced on Monday that the United States has designated Afghanistan as a “State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention.” The move increases pressure on the Taliban to release Americans held in the country. Washington also demanded that the Taliban stop using what officials call “hostage diplomacy.”

New Blacklist Created by Trump Order

The decision comes just over a week after Iran became the first nation placed on the US government’s wrongful detention blacklist.

Donald Trump created this blacklist through an executive order signed in September. The order introduced a system to identify governments accused of unfairly detaining foreign citizens.

US officials say the designation works in a way similar to Washington’s list of countries accused of supporting terrorism.

Rubio Accuses Taliban of Kidnapping Tactics

Rubio strongly criticised the Taliban’s actions. He said the group detains people to gain money or political concessions. “The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions,” Rubio said.

He also warned that Afghanistan remains unsafe for Americans. “It was not safe for Americans to travel to Afghanistan because the Taliban continues to unjustly detain our fellow Americans and other foreign nationals,” he said.

US Demands Release of Detained Americans

Rubio called for the immediate release of Americans held in Afghanistan.

“The Taliban needs to release Dennis Coyle, Mahmoud Habibi, and all Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan now and commit to cease the practice of hostage diplomacy forever,” he said.

US officials say the detentions violate international norms.

Case of Mahmoud Habibi

Mahmoud Habibi once served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation. US authorities say Taliban officials arrested him in August 2022 in Kabul. They also detained dozens of employees from his telecommunications company.

The US government has offered a $5 million reward for information that could help bring Habibi back.

Case of Dennis Coyle

Dennis Coyle is a scholar from Colorado. According to the James Foley Foundation, Coyle worked in Afghanistan for nearly twenty years. Taliban authorities detained him in January 2025.

US Increases Pressure on Taliban

Washington says the new designation aims to pressure the Taliban to release detained foreigners. US officials hope the move will discourage governments from using foreign citizens as bargaining tools in political disputes. The United States says it will continue pushing for the safe return of Americans held abroad.