KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Tuesday denied U.S. accusations that it detains foreigners to exert influence over other countries, saying Afghan authorities were arresting people for violating laws by not agreeing to a deal.
The U.S. State Department announced on Monday that it was designating Afghanistan as a sponsor of the wrongful detentions, accusing it of engaging in “hostage diplomacy.” Over the past two weeks, Afghanistan has joined Iran in being singled out by the United States for detaining Americans in an effort to gain policy concessions.
On Tuesday, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry in Kabul called the designation “regrettable.”
In July, a Taliban delegation told a U.N.-led conference in Doha that Afghans held at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay should be exchanged for Americans held in Afghanistan. The ministry said on Tuesday that ongoing diplomatic discussions with the United States on the matter were constructive. But it stressed that any foreigners detained in Afghanistan were violating Afghan law.
“The Afghan government stresses that no foreigners have been detained as a result of the agreement,” the ministry said. “Some people were detained on charges of violating established laws and in many cases they were released in the normal course after completing the legal process.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Americans on Monday not to travel to Afghanistan, saying the Taliban “continues to unjustly detain our fellow Americans and other foreign nationals.”
“The Taliban continue to use terror tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or seeking policy concessions. These despicable tactics need to end,” Rubio said.
Rubio called for the release of two Americans believed to be held by the Taliban: Dennis Coyle and Mahmood Habibi.
The FBI and Habibie’s family said they believed Habibie was taken away by Taliban forces, but the Taliban denied holding him.
In September 2025, the Afghan Taliban government released American citizen Amir Amiri from Afghan prison to normalize relations with the United States.
