Taliban Releases American Detainee Dennis Coyle
WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, the Taliban government in Afghanistan announced the release of Dennis Coyle, an American who had been held in Kabul since January 2025.
Coyle’s family had made an earnest appeal to both the U.S. government and Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, urging his release. The Taliban revealed that this release would coincide with Eid, the Islamic festival marking the conclusion of Ramadan.
The Kabul Foreign Ministry stated, “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan takes this action based on humanitarian compassion and goodwill.”
He went on to express that the trust between the two nations has improved. “We hope that both countries can resolve outstanding issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue moving forward,” he added.
Coyle, originally from Colorado, had spent nearly two decades in Afghanistan learning the language.
Taliban forces had taken him from his apartment in Kabul just days after the releases of other American detainees, Ryan Corbett and William McEntee.
According to Coyle’s family, he had never been charged with any crime.
The Trump administration classified Coyle’s situation as a wrongful arrest under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Act, which was enacted following the abduction of a former FBI agent in Iran.
While the U.S. does not officially acknowledge the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, discussions have occurred through intermediaries like Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, recently labeled the Taliban government as a “state sponsor of illegal detention,” accusing them of using “terrorist tactics” to detain Americans and other foreign nationals unlawfully.
Negotiations for Coyle’s release began in late February, according to reports from a Taliban official.
In a statement on Tuesday, Rubio expressed gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for its role in facilitating Coyle’s release and acknowledged Qatar’s ongoing support for Americans in similar situations. However, he stressed that this was merely a positive first step and called for the immediate return of other unjustly detained Americans, insisting that the Taliban must cease its hostage diplomacy.
