Washington (Monitoring Desk): The United States has once again expressed concern over the Afghan Taliban government's alleged practice of detaining foreign nationals to achieve political objectives.
US State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Stickney criticized the Afghan Taliban government, saying that it is still following a policy of holding foreign citizens hostage.
She demanded that the Afghan Taliban immediately release all innocent American citizens detained under what she called a hostage-taking policy. She said that counterterrorism efforts in Afghanistan are among the important national interests of the United States.
Elizabeth Stickney also expressed concern over the situation of women's and girls' rights in Afghanistan, saying that human rights conditions for women have become extremely poor under the Afghan Taliban government, and violations of the rights of women and girls should end immediately.
On the other hand, international experts say that detaining citizens of any country for political pressure is against international laws and diplomatic principles. Experts stated that the Taliban government continues to face various challenges globally due to issues related to human rights, security, and political policies in Afghanistan.