Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday criticised Afghanistan over the detention of American citizens and warned that the United States could restrict the use of US passports for travel to the country.
In a statement, Rubio said he was designating the Taliban government in Afghanistan as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention” and demanded the immediate release of all US citizens held in the country, including Mahmood Habibi and Dennis Coyle.
He said the Taliban continued to use tactics such as detaining individuals to seek ransom or policy concessions, adding that such actions must end.
Rubio said he had determined that it was not safe for Americans to travel to Afghanistan due to the risk of unjust detention.
According to officials familiar with the matter, the United States is also seeking the return of the remains of Paul Overby, who was last seen near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in 2014.
The sources said the US government could restrict the use of US passports for travel to Afghanistan if its demands were not met. Currently, similar travel restrictions for US passport holders are in place only for North Korea.
Rubio had earlier issued a similar determination against Iran on February 27 under an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump in September. He had warned that travel restrictions could also be imposed over the detention of American citizens in Iran.
However, no such restrictions have yet been implemented.
Officials said the United States and Israel launched military action against Iran shortly after the determination was announced.
The Afghan Taliban government has previously denied detaining Habibi, who had served as the head of Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority.