Trump Targets Afghanistan Under New Sanctions Order
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order paving the way for fresh sanctions on countries that Washington says are involved in the “unlawful” detention of American citizens, with Afghanistan included among them.
Under the order, the U.S. administration may impose punitive measures on states accused of unjustly detaining American nationals. China, Iran, and Afghanistan are among the countries that, according to senior U.S. officials, are under review for possible inclusion on a list of “hostage diplomacy sponsors.”
American officials stated that individuals, institutions, or governments involved in what they describe as wrongful detentions would face sanctions, export restrictions, and bans on entry to the United States. Structurally, these sanctions resemble those imposed on groups labeled as “terrorist.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the approach as a message to countries that use the detention of American citizens as a tool of political pressure. Meanwhile, the Taliban administration has repeatedly faced criticism from human rights organizations over the detention and mistreatment of foreign nationals, including Americans.
Given the continuation of arbitrary and opaque detentions in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, the country’s potential inclusion on the new list would mark another sign of its growing global isolation. The move also increases international pressure on the Taliban authorities to respect human rights principles and international law.
