Rising Tensions Between Kabul and Washington; Taliban Official Threatens “Crushing Response”.
The Taliban have described the recent decision by the United States to place Afghanistan on the list of countries responsible for “wrongful detentions” as regrettable and have rejected Washington’s accusations.
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry said that no foreign citizen has been detained as a “bargaining tool.”
Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Taliban Foreign Ministry, stated that some foreign nationals had been detained but were later released after what he described as legal procedures were completed.
However, a local Taliban official adopted a sharper tone. Ataullah Zaid, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Balkh province, wrote in a message on the social media platform X that if the United States attempts to pressure the Taliban again, the group is ready to respond.
He warned: “If you try to bring us to our knees again, we are ready and will deliver a crushing response.” He also added that the Taliban are capable of confronting their enemies with the same weapons that were left behind in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials accuse the Taliban of detaining foreign citizens for political purposes. Jim Risch, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the Taliban are implementing a harsh interpretation of Islamic law with financial resources linked to the United States and have detained several American citizens, including Dennis Coyle and Mahmood Shah Habibi.
Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, also stated that the Taliban continue to use “terrorist tactics” to gain political concessions and that Afghanistan under Taliban rule should therefore be included on the list of entities responsible for wrongful detentions of foreign nationals.
