Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has responded to comments by Don Brown, the US chargé d’affaires for Afghanistan, who accused the Taliban of using detained American citizens as leverage in negotiations.
Mujahid said the Taliban are engaged in talks with Washington regarding the fate of American detainees in Afghanistan and are seeking a resolution to the issue.
Brown said on Wednesday that the Taliban had detained US citizens and were using them as tools of pressure and bargaining in discussions with the United States. He described the practice as “deplorable” and called on the international community to increase pressure on the Taliban.
Previously, the US deputy ambassador to the United Nations told the Security Council that the Taliban were using detainees as leverage in negotiations with Washington and other countries.
According to reports, at least three US citizens, including Dennis Walter Coyle and Mahmood Shah Habibi, are currently being held by the Taliban.
The Taliban have denied detaining Habibi and have reportedly demanded the release of an Afghan al-Qaeda member from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in exchange for Coyle’s freedom.
The group is said to be seeking the release of Mohammad Rahim, who has been held at Guantanamo since 2008 and is accused of cooperating with Osama bin Laden within the al-Qaeda network.
Since 2024, the Taliban have released at least five American detainees, including Amir Amiri, Faye Hall, Ryan Corbett, William McKenty and George Glezmann.
Corbett and McKenty were freed in early 2025 in exchange for the release of a Taliban prisoner. Earlier, Adam Boehler, President Donald Trump’s envoy for hostage affairs, travelled to Kabul for talks with the Taliban over American detainees.
