I read with great interest the essay Ahmad Shah Habibi recently wrote about his brother being held captive by the Taliban. Over the years of hearing his brother’s story, I am always reminded of my own father, Bob Levinson, and his brutal captivity abroad 18 years ago — and the horrible crimes I have watched hostage-takers repeatedly get away with ever since.

Ahmad’s brother Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan and U.S. dual citizen, is an expert in civil aviation. Mahmood cared deeply for his birth country and, after becoming an American citizen, felt compelled to go back to help keep the airports open so that critical food and medicine could make it to the landlocked and war-torn country. He felt a calling bigger than himself, just like my father.

Mahmood was arrested by the Taliban — the de facto government of Afghanistan — shortly after the U.S. strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul in 2022. When Mahmood innocently returned to the country a few days after the strike, he was taken.

The Habibi family has spoken about the numerous witnesses who saw Mahmood’s arrest — including some of those who were held in Taliban custody with him. But when the FBI and State Department announced a $5 million reward earlier this year, the Taliban inexplicably responded with an official statement saying they never heard of Mahmood. This is exactly what the government of Iran was allowed to get away with in my father’s case for the last 18 years.

My family heard this same thing from the Iranian regime when my father was “disappeared” by its security service on March 9, 2007. They said they knew nothing of a Bob Levinson, and feigned concern and even vaguely offered to help look for my father — all the while knowing they were the ones responsible for his captivity.

To this day, Iran has denied any involvement whatsoever, and at times even said he was never in the country. Ultimately, as my family found out in March 2020, the actions by the Iranians and the inaction of the U.S. government cost my father his life.

After finally accepting my father’s death — though I personally consider it murder at the hands of a cruel and barbaric regime that has not had to pay the price for its sins — my siblings and I began working to help others whose loved ones were being held captive however way we can.

As a result, I watched in horror as the practice of hostage-taking by state and non-state actors reached a fever pitch in 2022, precisely when Habibi was taken, and still runs rampant to this day. The Taliban, taking a cue from the Iranian regime, continually takes Americans whenever the opportunity arises for them, knowing how valuable a U.S. citizen has become as political leverage. They have released some individuals over the years at the right price, and then they quickly seize others in their place.

Well-meaning Americans who care about Afghanistan and want to help make the world a better place are the ones who are suffering — as are the Afghan people.

Thankfully, President Trump and his administration appear to be taking a strong stance with the Taliban. They have cut off all economic and development assistance to the country. They recently blocked travel by three Taliban leaders to Pakistan. And it seems that further pressure is coming.

Trump also cares deeply about bringing Americans home from captivity, and shows this not just in words but in action. His administration has brought home at least 71 Americans held abroad, and many more since then.

I hope we will continue to see powerful action by the president to finally stop the scourge of hostage taking in the future, and more done to bring all those wrongfully held abroad home immediately. No one should suffer the same horrific fate as my father — and countless others — ever again. Every single day matters.

The Taliban must release all Americans they are holding immediately. We as a country must continue to demand this. Mahmood’s brother, his loving wife and daughter, and all of his family and friends, are desperately waiting.

Sarah (Levinson) Moriarty is an advocate for Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad. She is one of the children of America’s longest-held hostage, former FBI Agent Bob Levinson, who died in Iranian custody. She serves on the advisory board of HostageUS, the McCain Institute’s Freedom for Political Prisoners Initiative and the Foley Foundation.