KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied on Tuesday that the group is holding Afghan-American Mahmood Shah Habibi, a former head of Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority, saying the Taliban has no information about his whereabouts or fate.
Habibi, a dual U.S.-Afghan citizen, disappeared near his home in Kabul in August 2022. At the time, he was working as an adviser for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has said that Taliban intelligence agents detained Habibi and his driver from their vehicle and held them along with 29 other employees of the firm. Last year, Washington offered a reward of up to $5 million for information that leads to Habibi’s location, recovery, and return.
Speaking to Ariana News on Tuesday, Mujahid said: “We have no information about Mahmood Shah Habibi. He is not with the Taliban. If he were, this problem would have been resolved long ago.”
On Monday, August 10, marking the fourth anniversary of Habibi’s disappearance, the FBI reiterated its commitment to bringing him home to his family
Michael Burgwald, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the counterterrorism division in Washington, said: “The FBI remains committed to bringing Mahmoud home to his loved ones, including his daughter, who has not seen her father since before her first birthday.”
“If you have information about his whereabouts, please contact the FBI. Help us bring this case to a resolution. Help us reunite this family,” Borgwald added.
The case comes amid broader U.S. concerns over the detention of American citizens in Afghanistan. Earlier this year, the United States designated Afghanistan under Taliban control as a “state sponsor of wrongful detentions,” accusing the Taliban of detaining foreign nationals for ransom or to seek political concessions.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has warned Americans against traveling to Afghanistan, saying the country remains unsafe and that the Taliban continues to detain Americans and other foreign nationals unjustly.
“The Taliban continue to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions,” Rubio said. “These despicable tactics need to end.”
Other western governments, including Britain, Canada, Australia, and Germany, continue to advise their citizens against travel to Afghanistan, citing persistent risks of terrorism, kidnapping, and arbitrary detention under Taliban rule.
