The Trump administration has officially designated Afghanistan as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention,” accusing the Taliban of arbitrarily detaining Americans and using them as leverage in negotiations.
The announcement was made Monday by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as Washington marked National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, highlighting growing concerns over Americans held abroad.
Afghanistan is only the second country to receive the designation, after Iran was labeled a state sponsor of wrongful detention on February 27, just one day before the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran.
The designation is designed to deter governments and militant groups from abducting Americans and using them for political or financial concessions.
Rubio said the Taliban has continued to engage in practices that amount to hostage diplomacy.
“The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions. These despicable tactics need to end,” he said in a statement.
US warns Americans against traveling to Afghanistan
The State Department warned that Afghanistan remains unsafe for US citizens.
“It is not safe for Americans to travel to Afghanistan because the Taliban continues to unjustly detain our fellow Americans and other foreign nationals,” Rubio said.
He urged the Taliban to immediately release all Americans being held in the country.
“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 added.
Sanctions, travel restrictions may follow
The designation allows the Trump administration to activate powers created under an executive order issued in September, enabling potential punitive measures. These measures could include sanctions, export controls, and travel restrictions on US passport holders seeking to travel to Afghanistan.
A similar restriction already exists for North Korea, where Americans cannot travel using a US passport without special authorization from the State Department.
In those rare cases, travelers must obtain a “special validation passport.”
Case of Mahmoud Habibi remains unresolved
One of the Americans believed to be detained in Afghanistan is Mahmoud Habibi, who disappeared in August 2022. The Taliban has never publicly acknowledged holding him.
The US State Department is offering up to $5 million for information leading to Habibi’s location, recovery, and safe return. Habibi’s brother, Ahmad Habibi, met Monday with Sebastian Gorka and Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler.
He said both officials assured him that President Donald Trump would not abandon efforts to bring his brother home.
“The Taliban need to admit what we already know — that they have my brother — so we can move forward in bringing him home to his wife and young daughter,” Ahmad Habibi said.
He also urged the Taliban not to challenge Trump’s efforts to reunite detained Americans with their families.
Dennis Coyle detained without charges
Another American currently held in Afghanistan is Dennis Coyle, a 64-year-old academic originally from Colorado. Coyle was detained in January 2025, just six days after another American, Ryan Corbett, was released at the start of President Trump’s second term.
According to his family, Coyle is being held by the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence in near-solitary confinement and has not been charged with any crime.
His family says he has been kept isolated since his detention.
US highlights broader hostage crisis
The designation was announced during an event at the State Department marking National Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day, observed annually on March 9.
During the ceremony, US officials, former detainees, and families of Americans held abroad gathered at the State Department. A flag representing wrongfully detained Americans and hostages was raised outside the building while families of detainees watched from above.
Special Envoy Adam Boehler said the administration has already helped secure the release of 175 individuals detained abroad, including 100 Americans, since the beginning of President Trump’s second term.
Rubio said the designation was meant to break what he described as a dangerous pattern.
“They view Americans as a commodity that they can grab onto and then trade in the future,” he said. “That cycle has to stop, and that's why this designation now exists.”
Washington hopes the move will pressure the Taliban to release detained Americans and end what US officials call the practice of hostage diplomacy.
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