Global Reach Supports US Designation of Afghanistan as 'Country of Unjust Detentions' to Pressure Taliban

Global Reach, a US-based organization working to free detained American citizens abroad, has endorsed the Trump administration's decision to designate Afghanistan as a "country of unjust detentions." The group stated that the move sends a clear message to the Taliban to release American citizens held in Afghanistan.

Eric Lebsen, a former US National Security Council official and Global Reach strategist, said the decision indicates that progress in Washington-Taliban relations hinges on resolving these cases. "This decision is a clear message from the Trump administration to the Taliban that the key to resolving four cases of detained American citizens is in their hands," Lebsen said in a statement. He urged the Taliban to free Mahmoud Shah Habibi and resolve the other cases, warning that failure to do so could further strain bilateral ties.

Mahmoud Shah Habibi disappeared in Kabul in August 2022. His family claims he was detained by the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence, a charge the Taliban has denied. His brother, Ahmad Habibi, said the US government has evidence of the detention and called on the Taliban to acknowledge it to begin the process of returning Habibi to his wife and young daughter.

Ahmad Habibi added that he has met with US officials, including Adam Boehler, the US special envoy for hostages, and Sebastian Gorka, a senior White House counterterrorism official, who assured him efforts to secure Habibi's release will continue.

The statements follow an announcement by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Washington has labeled Taliban-ruled Afghanistan a "country of unjust detentions." US officials say at least three Americans are currently detained there, including 64-year-old linguist and researcher Dennis Quail and Mahmoud Shah Habibi.

The designation stems from a 2025 executive order by Donald Trump authorizing actions against countries engaging in unjust detentions of Americans. Global Reach said it has been in contact with Habibi's family since his disappearance and aims to assist in repatriating unjustly detained US citizens abroad.