Taliban Must End Hostage Diplomacy, Says US State Department
The US State Department, referring to the release of American hostage Dennis Coyle from Taliban custody, said President Donald Trump is committed to ending wrongful detentions abroad.
The US State Department, referring to the release of American hostage Dennis Coyle from Taliban custody, said President Donald Trump is committed to ending wrongful detentions abroad.
It called on the Taliban to immediately free Mahmood Habibi, and other Americans.
In a statement, the State Department said that the Taliban must end its practice of hostage diplomacy.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also welcomed the release of the American hostage. He said it was a positive step towards ending what he described as “hostage diplomacy”.
He said Dennis Coyle was on his way home.
Rubio wrote on X on Tuesday that he had met members of Coyle’s family earlier this month. He said they had asked for help in securing Coyle’s release.
The US secretary of state also thanked the United Arab Emirates and Qatar for their co-operation in helping secure the American hostage’s release.
The State Department said Coyle joins more than 100 Americans who have been freed over the past 15 months during Trump’s second term.
The Taliban’s foreign ministry confirmed the release of US detainee Dennis Coyle saying the decision was approved by the group’s supreme leader.
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said during a meeting with former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad that the detainee’s family, particularly his mother, had appealed for his release in a letter.
The Taliban said Coyle’s prison term had ended and that he is freed with the approval of the group’s supreme court.
Earlier, Afghanistan International reported that the Taliban would release a US citizen following warnings from President Donald Trump’s administration. Sources said a US delegation had travelled to Kabul to help secure the release.
The Taliban foreign ministry said Muttaqi met Khalilzad, Saif AlKetbi, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to Kabul, and a member of Coyle’s family on Tuesday.
In a statement, the ministry said Coyle was being released under a decree from Hibatullah Akhundzada for Eid al-Fitr.
Muttaqi said the decision followed a letter from the detainee’s family, especially his mother, requesting that he be pardoned and released for Eid.
Sources told Afghanistan International that the US delegation has close ties to the Taliban administration and that high-level talks are continuing.
After Coyle’s release, three other Americans will remain in Taliban custody.
The Trump administration recently warned that there would be serious consequences if all Americans were not released, saying the president would not rest until they were freed.
Muttaqi said the Taliban had not detained foreign nationals for political purposes, but that such individuals were arrested for violating the law and released after legal proceedings.
He added that both sides should ensure proper consular services for their citizens and that the Afghan government was fully prepared in that regard.
The Taliban thanked the United Arab Emirates and its president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for what it described as a constructive role in facilitating the release, calling the UAE a close friend of Afghanistan.
Muttaqi also expressed appreciation for Qatar’s role in facilitating communication between the Taliban and the detainee’s family.
According to the Taliban, Khalilzad welcomed the release of the US citizen and stressed the importance of continued dialogue between the two sides, expressing hope for further progress.
The UAE ambassador also reaffirmed his country’s readiness to support humanitarian efforts and said such developments were beneficial to all parties.
The second round of the Islamabad conference will be held in London on Tuesday, March 24, bringing together Afghan political figures and civil society representatives.
The two-day meeting, organised by Women for Afghanistan, will run from March 24 to March 25 and include around 40 participants from political parties, civil society, media and political circles.
In a statement, the organisation said the conference is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen shared principles and common values in addressing Afghanistan’s current crisis.
Enhancing mutual understanding and building trust among different political groups will be the focus of the first day, with participants also discussing Afghanistan’s future.
The second day will involve international partners, diplomats and members of both the House of Lords and the House of Commons in the United Kingdom.
Sources previously told Afghanistan International that some Taliban opponents will hold talks with figures close to the Pakistani government during the meeting.
The first round of the Islamabad conference was held on September 30 and drew strong criticism from the Taliban.
Sources say that amid ongoing clashes between Pakistan and the Taliban, contacts between Pakistan’s political circles and non-Pashtun groups in Afghanistan have expanded, with broader political consultations under way.
The first conference was hosted by the South Asia Strategic Stability Institute and Women for Afghanistan and brought together at least 30 representatives of political groups, civil society activists and officials from Afghanistan’s former government. At the same time, around 40 senior former Pakistani officials also took part.
At the end of that meeting, Taliban opponents said peace and stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan are closely interconnected, adding that the conference helped build an unprecedented consensus on the shared future of the two countries.
The Islamabad conference had been postponed at least three times.
Participants in the earlier meeting included former Afghan MP Fawzia Koofi, former economy minister Mustafa Mastoor, Afghanistan’s representative in Geneva Nasir Ahmad Andisha, former Kabul governor Ahmadullah Alizai, former civil service commissioner Alia Yilmaz and former Bamiyan governor Tahir Zuhair.
Other participants included Abdullah Qarluq and Faridun Elham from the National Islamic Movement, Masooma Khavari from the Islamic Unity Party, journalist Zahra Joya, religious scholar Bashir Ahmad Ansari and several other Afghan activists.
The Taliban have publicly flogged two men and a woman in Kabul and Balkh, according to a statement from the group’s Supreme Court.
The court said a woman and a man in Kabul were each sentenced to 39 lashes and at least one year in prison on charges described as “extramarital relations” and “running away from home”.
In Balkh province, another man was given 39 lashes for allegedly selling alcohol.
Public floggings are part of the Taliban’s penal practices and have continued despite widespread international criticism calling for their abolition.
The Taliban say such punishments are in line with their interpretation of Islamic law.
Findings by Afghanistan International indicate that since 2024, the Taliban have flogged more than 2,000 people in public, including 291 women, on various charges.
The findings also suggest that the Taliban have avoided carrying out public corporal punishment against individuals affiliated with the group.
The Taliban are set to release a US citizen from detention following warnings from the administration of President Donald Trump. A US delegation was seen in Kabul on Tuesday as part of efforts to secure the hostage’s release.
Sources told Afghanistan International that the delegation has close ties to the Taliban authorities and that high-level talks are ongoing.
After the release, three other US detainees are expected to remain in Taliban custody.
The Trump administration recently warned the Taliban that failure to free all Americans would result in serious consequences. The United States has said Trump will not rest until all US citizens are released from Taliban prisons.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it does not recognise any new appointment by the Taliban to Afghanistan’s embassy in Berlin, following reports that the group has designated a new representative to lead the mission.
The ministry said it would not accept any legal changes or new appointments at the embassy.
Earlier, Afghanistan International, citing Taliban Foreign Ministry documents, reported that the Taliban had dismissed Abdul Baqi Popal, the acting head of Afghanistan’s embassy in Germany.
German broadcaster ARD also reported that the Taliban had appointed one of its diplomats to head the embassy in Berlin.
According to Deutsche Welle, a spokesperson for Germany’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that a diplomat from Afghanistan’s former government should continue to manage the embassy.
The spokesperson added that any diplomat must receive Germany’s approval to be recognised as ambassador or chargé d’affaires, and that no such process had taken place in this case.
A letter from the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry had instructed Popal to hand over his duties before the end of his official term to Nebras-ul-Haq Aziz, a diplomat appointed by the Taliban.
Popal is expected to remain at the embassy in a local staff capacity, according to reports.
Diplomatic sources in Berlin told Afghanistan International that Germany’s Foreign Ministry had not been formally notified of the appointment.
According to available information, the Taliban continue to rely on Popal for official dealings with the host country, while internally he is treated as a local employee.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry said maintaining consular services at Afghan diplomatic missions remains a priority. Berlin wants services such as visa and passport issuance to continue regularly and for embassy staff to be able to issue documents recognised by the Taliban authorities.
Currently, within the formal structure of Afghanistan’s embassy in Berlin, a chargé d’affaires appointed before 2021 is recognised by the German government as the official point of contact, although in practice a Taliban-designated individual is managing the embassy.
Popal was appointed acting head of mission several months ago, replacing Yama Yari. He previously served as chargé d’affaires in Berlin and is originally from Panjwayi district in Kandahar province. Under the former Afghan government, he served as deputy director for local governance.
Germany does not recognise the Taliban administration as the official government of Afghanistan.