Taliban Releases American Dennis Coyle After Over a Year

The Taliban government released American citizen Dennis Walter Coyle, 64, after over a year in detention as a gesture for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan. According to multiple reports, Coyle was detained in January 2025 while living and working as a language researcher in Afghanistan.

The Taliban-run Afghan foreign ministry stated that Coyle's imprisonment was deemed sufficient and he was pardoned to mark Eid al-Fitr. No specific charges were filed against him during his detention. Video and images showed the 64-year-old walking off a plane at a base in San Antonio, Texas, before embracing family members.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the release, stating that President Trump is committed to ending unjust detentions overseas. The U.S. State Department had designated Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention earlier this month, accusing it of engaging in “hostage diplomacy.” According to Fox News and Al Jazeera, over 100 Americans have been freed in the past 15 months under President Trump's second term.

Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler told Fox News that Coyle committed no crime and was used as leverage. The United Arab Emirates facilitated Coyle’s release on humanitarian grounds as a gesture of goodwill, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanking the UAE and Qatar for their support in securing his release.

Coyle's family said he had been legally working in Afghanistan to support language communities as an academic researcher. Rubio welcomed Coyle's release but added that the United States is still seeking the immediate return of Mahmood Habibi, Paul Overby, and all other unjustly detained Americans.