Over the weekend, the Taliban released a U.S. citizen detained in Afghanistan.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the release of Amir Amiry is “thanks to President Trump’s leadership and commitment to the American people.”
“We express our sincere gratitude to Qatar, whose strong partnership and tireless diplomatic efforts were vital to securing his release,” Rubio said on September 28. “This homecoming reflects this Administration’s determination, reinforced by the President’s recent Executive Order, to protect U.S. nationals from wrongful detention abroad. While this marks an important step forward, additional Americans remain unjustly detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will not rest until all our captive citizens are back home.”
According to the Taliban Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Hafiz Zia Ahmad, Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi Amiri’s release demonstrates “that the Government of Afghanistan does not view issues concerning foreign nationals from a political perspective, & reiterated that diplomacy provides pathways for resolving such matters. He further noted that the release of the American national represented a positive step forward, & expressed gratitude to the State of Qatar for its effective role in facilitating prisoner releases between IEA & U.S.A.”
President Trump signed an executive order earlier this month aimed at strengthening efforts to protect U.S. citizens from wrongful detentions overseas. “The United States Government is committed to using every tool available to curb this coercive tactic used by foreign adversaries and must hold such adversaries to account,” the order says. “No American should fear being taken as a political pawn by rogue states. Wrongful detentions are an affront to the rule of law and aim to undermine our leadership on the world stage. The United States will not tolerate these attacks on our sovereignty and U.S. nationals.”
