Taliban denies detaining foreign citizens for political gain in response to US officials

KABUL (Hasht-e Subh) -- The Taliban responded to statements by US officials, claiming it has not detained any foreign citizens to gain political advantage.

Abdul Qahar Balkhi, spokesperson for the Taliban's Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday that the US State Department's portrayal of the group as "supporters of illegal detentions" is regrettable.

The Taliban stated that some foreign citizens have been detained but released after undergoing "legal" procedures. It added that during the past year, it released some American citizens in good faith.

The Foreign Ministry noted that discussions on American prisoners have been held with Qatari mediation and some positive steps taken, though no further details were provided.

Previously, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Taliban uses terrorist methods to detain citizens of other countries for political exploitation and designated the group as supporting illegal detentions.