By Kanishka Singh
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. could place a “very large bounty” on the highest leaders of the Taliban, Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned on Saturday, including he was listening to that the Taliban held extra American hostages than beforehand reported.
“Simply listening to the Taliban is holding extra American hostages than has been reported,” Rubio mentioned in a put up on social media platform X.
“If that is true, we must instantly place a VERY BIG bounty on their high leaders, perhaps even greater than the one we had on Bin Laden,” he added.
The put up didn’t give additional particulars or specify the variety of Individuals held by the Taliban.
Authorities in Kabul mentioned previously week that the USA freed an Afghan convicted by an American courtroom on prices of drug smuggling and extremism in alternate for 2 U.S. residents held in Afghanistan.
Afghan officers mentioned on Tuesday the person, Khan Mohammad, had landed in Kabul after being launched. A spokesman for the Taliban administration confirmed that two Individuals had been launched within the alternate.
One of many Individuals launched was Ryan Corbett, in keeping with a press release by his household. Corbett had been in Taliban detention since 2022, in keeping with the household. U.S. media shops mentioned the opposite American launched was named William McKenty.
The Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021 following a chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the nation after 20 years of struggle.
The Worldwide Legal Courtroom prosecutor mentioned on Thursday he had utilized for arrest warrants for 2 Taliban leaders in Afghanistan together with supreme religious chief Haibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of the persecution of ladies and ladies.
