US Considers Offering Major Bounties for Taliban Leaders as Hostage Reports Grow
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested on Saturday that the US may offer a substantial reward for the capture of Taliban leaders, following reports that the group is holding more American citizens hostage than previously acknowledged. In a social media post, Rubio wrote, “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 did not provide additional details or specify how many Americans are currently detained by the Taliban.
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This statement comes days after Afghan authorities revealed that the US had released an Afghan citizen, Khan Mohammad, who was convicted of drug trafficking and terrorism-related charges, in exchange for two US citizens held in Afghanistan. Mohammad arrived in Kabul earlier this week, according to Taliban officials, who confirmed the release of Ryan Corbett and another American, reportedly named William McKenty.
Corbett’s family stated he had been detained by the Taliban since 2022. The swap underscores ongoing tensions between the US and the Taliban, which assumed control of Afghanistan in 2021 after the withdrawal of American forces following two decades of war.
Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court prosecutor has requested arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders, including the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of committing crimes against women and girls under their regime.
