Washington D.C. – VOA, Sept. 21, 2026
During a recent Security Council briefing, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz called on members to condemn the Taliban for their unjust detention of U.S. and other citizens. “Demand their release,” he said. “We should also condemn the Taliban’s sheltering … of terrorist groups, and the utter destruction of their once great country under their cruelty.”
In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Afghanistan under the Taliban as a State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention for the kidnapping of Americans and other nationalities for ransom and political concessions.
The UN Secretary-General reported this year that human rights violations in Afghanistan remain widespread, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture.
