US Labels Afghanistan Sponsor of Wrongful Detention

0:00On March 10th, the State Department has now labeled Afghanistan a sponsor of wrongful detention, putting it in the same category as Iran, which got. The same tag just two weeks ago, this moved targets countries that hold Americans to force policy changes from the U.S. The goal is clear, increase pressure on the Taliban to release detained citizens and face penalties if they don't. Officials say it's too dangerous for Americans to travel there because of these ongoing grabs. Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed the Taliban's tactics as terrorists like kidnappings for ransom or leverage, and he specifically called for. Freeing researcher, Dennis Coil, hailed since January 2025, an Afghan-American businessman Mahmoud Habibi missing since 2, 2022. Experts like Eric Lebson from a nonprofit, aiding these cases, hailed it as a strong signal from the Trump administration that no progress happens. Meanwhile, at the United Nations, U.S., Ambassador Mike Waltz accused the Taliban of

1:04hostage diplomacy and questioned sending $1 billion in aid while they deny women basic rights. He tied it back to the 2020 Doha deal that led to the U.S. pullout. This dual push from Washington signals tougher times ahead for U.S. Afghanistan ties until the detention's end.