US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a sharp warning to Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership, threatening to place significant bounties on their heads over reports that more Americans may be detained in the country than previously disclosed.
Taking to social media on Saturday, Rubio wrote on X, “Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported. If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on bin Laden.”
Rubio’s remarks follow a recent prisoner exchange between the Taliban and the United States, marking one of the final actions of former President Joe Biden’s administration. The exchange saw the release of Ryan Corbett, an American detained in Afghanistan since August 2022, and William McKenty, another American about whom little is publicly known.
In return, the US freed Khan Mohammed, who was serving a life sentence for drug trafficking and allegedly seeking rockets to target US forces in Afghanistan.
Rubio’s rhetoric aligns with former President Donald Trump’s confrontational approach. Trump’s administration, while critical of prolonged US military engagements, negotiated directly with the Taliban during his first term and brokered an agreement to withdraw American troops. However, Rubio’s tone suggests a shift toward a harder stance, especially in light of reports of alleged undisclosed American detentions.
The US previously placed a $25 million bounty on Osama bin Laden, with Congress later authorising rewards of up to $50 million for key targets. Rubio hinted at potentially higher stakes for Taliban leaders, referencing bin Laden’s bounty, although no further details were provided on additional detainees.
The Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, following the US military withdrawal, sparked international condemnation, particularly due to the group’s severe restrictions on women and girls under its conservative policies.
Despite humanitarian assistance authorised by Biden’s administration—explicitly directed toward addressing urgent needs in Afghanistan—engagements with the Taliban government made little progress. Rubio recently froze nearly all US aid globally, underscoring a more stringent approach to foreign relations under the current administration.
The situation remains tense as international organisations, including the International Criminal Court, continue to pursue accountability for Taliban leaders, with recent calls for arrest warrants over their treatment of women.
