WASHINGTON, Jan 25, 2025 – The US may place a “very big bounty” on the top leaders of the Taliban, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Saturday. Rubio stated that he had received information suggesting the Taliban held more American hostages than previously reported.
“Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported,” Rubio said in a post on social media platform X. “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,” he added.
Rubio did not provide further details or specify the number of Americans allegedly being held by the Taliban.
In the past week, authorities in Kabul reported that the United States had freed an Afghan convicted on charges of drug smuggling and extremism in exchange for two US citizens held in Afghanistan. Afghan officials confirmed that Khan Mohammad, the Afghan national, had landed in Kabul after his release. A spokesman for the Taliban administration confirmed that two Americans were released in the exchange.
One of the Americans released was Ryan Corbett, who had been in Taliban detention since 2022, according to a statement by his family. US media outlets identified the other American released as William McKenty.
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021 following a chaotic US withdrawal after 20 years of war.
On January 23, the International Criminal Court prosecutor announced that he had applied for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders, including supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls.