Trump Deputy Assistant Urges Taliban to Free American Hostages

Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to U.S. President Donald Trump, called for the Taliban to release American hostages, emphasizing that Trump has explicitly stated the group must stop hostage-taking or face consequences.

On Friday, Gorka posted a photo of the American hostages on his X account, stating, "Until Dennis Keill and Mahmoud Habibi return home, we will not rest."

U.S. representative Tammy Bruce told the UN Security Council that the Taliban uses detainees as leverage and must halt all forms of hostage-taking and detentions. Bruce said the Taliban has openly demanded the release of an Al-Qaeda operative held at Guantanamo Bay in exchange for the current American detainees.

The New York Times reported that secret U.S.-Taliban talks on freeing American prisoners in Afghanistan have stalled. The discussions involved the Taliban seeking the release of Muhammad Rahim, detained at Guantanamo since 2008 and accused of collaborating with Osama bin Laden in Al-Qaeda.

The U.S. has repeatedly demanded information on Mahmoud Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American and former head of Afghanistan's civil aviation authority. The Taliban denies holding him. The U.S. offers a $5 million reward for information leading to his location and safe return.

The FBI states Habibi was detained in Afghanistan in 2022 shortly after the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, a claim the Taliban rejects.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said only Dennis Walter Keill and Paulensis Jackson are in Taliban custody.

U.S. representatives have made several trips to Afghanistan over the past year to secure the release of American prisoners.