IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1066 

Calling for the immediate release of Mahmood Habibi, a United States citizen, 

who was wrongfully detained by the Taliban on August 10, 2022, and 

condemning the wrongful detention of United States citizens by the 

Taliban. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 7, 2024 

Ms. LOFGREN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Calling for the immediate release of Mahmood Habibi, a 

United States citizen, who was wrongfully detained by 

the Taliban on August 10, 2022, and condemning the 

wrongful detention of United States citizens by the 

Taliban. 

Whereas United States citizen Mahmood Habibi has lived a 

noble life in service of his home country Afghanistan, by 

contributing to the aviation needs of the Afghan population; 

Whereas Mahmood Habibi hoped to build up Afghanistan 

and work for the future of Afghans; 

Whereas Mahmood Habibi was a dedicated civil aviation engineer who worked for the United States Federal Aviation 


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•HRES 1066 IH 

Administration in Afghanistan and went on to serve as 

head of Afghanistan’s Civil Aviation Authority; 

Whereas, in 2019, Mahmood Habibi began pursuing his master’s degree at Georgetown University and joined ARX 

Communications, a Virginia-based telecommunications 

firm responsible for operating the infrastructure of Afghanistan’s civilian airports; 

Whereas Mahmood Habibi is known to his family, friends, 

colleagues, and associates as a loving husband and father, as well as a kind, intelligent man; 

Whereas Mahmood Habibi was arrested by the Taliban in 

August 2022, because the Taliban made an assumption 

that Mahmood Habibi’s employer might have been involved in the United States drone strike in Kabul that 

killed an Al-Qaeda leader; 

Whereas Mahmood Habibi was arrested outside his home in 

Afghanistan while the Taliban searched his home and 

took his laptop and paperwork; 

Whereas, on August 10, 2022, Mahmood Habibi and 30 of 

his ARX colleagues were in Afghanistan for business and 

were detained by the Taliban; 

Whereas the Taliban-run General Directorate of Intelligence 

(‘‘GDI’’) interrogated Mahmood Habibi and 30 of his colleagues, eventually releasing 29 of them except Mahmood 

Habibi and one of his colleagues; 

Whereas the Afghanistan’s Ministry of Communications have 

admitted Mahmood Habibi is in the hands of the GDI, 

but the Taliban continue to refuse to acknowledge that 

they are holding him captive; 

Whereas the Taliban detained Mahmood Habibi and have 

held him captive without explanation, being charged with 


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•HRES 1066 IH 

a crime, or granting him due process in any judicial proceedings; 

Whereas the Taliban have detained Mahmood Habibi without 

contact with his wife, 2-year-old daughter, or any other 

family member; and 

Whereas Mahmood Habibi’s family members have struggled 

mentally, emotionally, and financially since his abduction: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) calls on the Taliban to immediately and un3 conditionally release Mahmood Habibi and all other 

4 United States detainees; 

5 (2) urges the Taliban to respect Mahmood 

6 Habibi’s human rights and to provide full, unfet7 tered, and consistent health and safety visits to 

8 Mahmood Habibi while in detention; 

9 (4) urges all United States executive branch of10 ficials to continue to raise the case of Mahmood 

11 Habibi and to press for his immediate release in all 

12 interactions with the Taliban; 

13 (5) condemns the Taliban’s practice of hostage 

14 taking and demands that the Taliban stop detaining 

15 United States citizens for political gain; 

16 (6) expresses sympathy for and solidarity with 

17 the families of all other citizens and lawful perma18 nent residents of the United States wrongfully de19 tained abroad; and 


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•HRES 1066 IH 

1 (7) expresses support for the family of 

2 Mahmood Habibi and a commitment to bringing 

3 Mahmood Habibi home. 

Æ 


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