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Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Monday that Afghanistan would be designated 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 detained in Afghanistan,” Rubio said.
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
CBS News explained further:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio formally designated Afghanistan as a state sponsor of wrongful detention on Monday, paving the way for the Trump administration to impose restrictions such as sanctions and export controls as punishment for the Taliban’s arbitrary imprisonment of Americans.
The designation allows for powers created by an executive order in September to be used by the Trump administration. As well as sanctions, there could be travel restrictions implemented for U.S. passport holders who otherwise want to travel to the country.
“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 in a press release.
Trump administration designates Afghanistan as a state sponsor of wrongful detention. https://t.co/yI7U7HLv2u
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 10, 2026
Reuters has more:
The U.S. is also seeking the return of the remains of Paul Overby, an author who was last seen close to Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan in 2014, two sources familiar with the situation said.
The sources said the U.S. could restrict the use of U.S. passports for travel to Afghanistan it it does not meet the U.S. demands. Such as passport restriction is currently only in place for North Korea.
Rubio on February 27 issued the same determination against Iran, the first country to be designated under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in September. Rubio warned the U.S. could restrict travel to Iran over its detention of U.S. citizens, but has not imposed any restrictions. The U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran the day after the determination was announced.
Reuters was unable to reach the government in Afghanistan for comment.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has previously denied it detained Habibi, who was the head of Afghanistan’s civil aviation.