U.S. Hostage Policy and Afghanistan

The U.S. has designated Taliban‑run Afghanistan a "state sponsor of wrongful detention," with Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz accusing the Taliban of "hostage diplomacy" at a Security Council meeting and linking the move to a broader campaign that recently included Iran. The designation singles out unresolved American cases — including Mahmood Habibi, Dennis Coyle and the remains of Paul Overby — and signals possible steps such as travel/passport restrictions, while the Taliban denies detaining Habibi and says it prefers to resolve the issue through dialogue.