Kabul has called for an "appropriate" solution with the US after the Trump administration designated Afghanistan as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention.”
The Afghan government seeks "this matter to be appropriately resolved and concluded through the ongoing discussions and constructive engagement between the two sides,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement on Tuesday.
Regretting the US designation, Balkhi also rejected accusations that Afghanistan detains foreign nationals for political bargaining.
“The government of Afghanistan underscores that no foreign national has been detained for purposes of a deal.
Certain individuals have been detained on charges of violating established law, and in many instances, they have been released,” he said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that Washington had designated Afghanistan as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention,” citing what he described as ongoing practices by the Afghan government.
“Today, I am designating Afghanistan as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention. The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions. These despicable tactics need to end,” Rubio said in a statement.
The designation follows repeated reports that Americans and other foreign nationals are being held unjustly in Afghanistan.
Rubio also warned that the country 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.
“The Taliban needs to release Dennis Coyle, Mahmoud Habibi, and all Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan now and commit to ceasing the practice of hostage diplomacy forever,” he added.
