A Taliban ambassador cautioned US Secretary of State Marco Rubio against making threats about placing bounties on Afghan leaders. This follows a prisoner swap involving two Americans, but with more in custody.

The U.S. may place a "very big bounty" on the top leaders of the Taliban, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday, adding he was hearing that the Taliban held more American hostages than previously reported.

Two Americans remain in Taliban custody after a two-for-one prisoner exchange the Biden administration negotiated before departing the White House.

Senior Taliban officials in Afghanistan say they hope for better relations with Iran after a visit from its foreign minister

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned about a “very big bounty” on top Taliban leaders if they are holding more American hostages than was reported.

In a post on X Saturday evening, Rubio said, “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.”

A Canadian ex-soldier detained by the Taliban government in Afghanistan was freed on Sunday after over two months of imprisonment in a deal brokered by Qatar, a source with knowledge of the release told AFP.

The International Criminal Court, a U.N. agency, has to approve the warrants. They've been condemned by the Taliban and welcomed by Afghan women and their advocates — with some reservations.

Senior Taliban officials in Afghanistan say they hope for better relations with Iran after a visit from its foreign minister.

Karim Khan said that a crime against humanity was being committed by top officials against “Afghan women and girls, as well as the LGBTQI+ community.”

The requested warrants target Haibatullah Akhundzada, the reclusive Kandahar-based leader of the Taliban, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the group’s chief justice.