Americans detained in Afghanistan ‘highest priority’: Decker

KABUL (TOLOnews): Karen Decker, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Mission to Afghanistan, said that bringing Americans who are detained in Afghanistan back home is Washington’s priority.

Decker said on X that her country would not hesitate to make any effort to repatriate US citizens detained in Afghanistan.

“We will never stop working to bring home Americans wrongfully detained in Afghanistan. It is our highest priority,” she wrote. The Islamic Emirate has not yet made any comment in this regard, but earlier the Islamic Emirate’s spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, told TOLOnews that some foreign nationals have been detained.
Political analysts said that the release of the foreign nationals would help improve the relations between Kabul and the international community.

“Both of the countries can consider the needs and release the prisoners, so the relations would be improved,” said Moeen Gul Samkanai, political analyst.
“If their [prisoners’] crime is not big, then based on our domestic laws, they could be pardoned, so there will be a [way] for positive engagement,” said Abdul Sadiq Hamidzoi, a political analyst.

In August this year, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West and the Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, in a meeting with senior Islamic Emirate representatives in Doha, discussed the removal of restrictions on women and girls, including access to education and work; release of detainees; end to corporal punishment, and crackdowns on media and freedom of expression.