On Tuesday, March 24, 2026, Afghanistan’s Taliban government announced the release of Dennis Coyle, a U.S. citizen who had been detained in Afghanistan for over a year. The Afghan foreign ministry stated that the decision to release Coyle came after a letter from his family and that he would be pardoned and freed in time for Eid, the festival marking the end of Ramadan. The U.S. State Department soon confirmed the news of Coyle’s release. By Wednesday morning, Coyle had safely returned to the United States, landing in San Antonio, Texas.
Dennis Coyle’s family expressed profound relief and gratitude following his release. In a statement shared with CBS News, they said their hearts were “filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God” for sustaining Dennis during what they described as “the most challenging and uncertain 421 days” of their lives. The family also extended their sincere thanks to numerous individuals and entities who had played a role in securing his freedom, including former President Donald Trump, Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio, leaders from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and various advocates and mediators who helped in the diplomatic efforts.
Coyle is a 64-year-old academic from Colorado who had spent nearly two decades conducting language research in Afghanistan. His detention began when Taliban forces forcibly took him from his Kabul apartment. This incident occurred just six days after another American, Ryan Corbett, was released at the start of President Trump’s second term. According to Coyle’s family, he was held by the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence in near-solitary confinement without any formal charges. His capture highlighted the ongoing dangers faced by Americans in Afghanistan, even those with longstanding legal status and deep connections to local communities.
The Afghan foreign ministry framed Coyle’s release as a gesture of “humanitarian sympathy and goodwill,” expressing hope that such acts would help foster an atmosphere of trust between Afghanistan and the United States. The statement also expressed optimism that both countries would find solutions to remaining issues through “understanding and constructive dialogue.”
Earlier in March, the U.S. State Department had designated Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention, a move that underscored concerns over the Taliban’s practice of detaining foreign nationals. Secretary of State Marco Rubio tweeted about meeting members of Coyle’s family and expressed hope that Dennis’s release would be a step toward ending what he called “hostage diplomacy.”
Coyle’s case had garnered significant attention in the U.S. government. Last June, the U.S. officially designated him as wrongfully detained under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. This designation activates certain government tools and elevates the priority of efforts to secure his release.
Negotiations for Coyle’s release were complicated by the fact that the U.S. does not recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government and does not maintain a diplomatic presence in the country. As a result, discussions were conducted through intermediaries, primarily Qatar, which facilitated communication and visits. A source familiar with the release revealed that a Qatari team regularly visited Coyle to monitor his health and maintain contact between him and his family. These visits included one around Christmas and another last month during which Coyle handed over a letter to his mother via the Qatari officials.
The Biden administration had previously attempted to negotiate a prisoner swap involving several Americans detained in Afghanistan, including Coyle, in exchange for Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, a Guantanamo Bay detainee alleged to have ties to Osama bin Laden. However, these talks ultimately failed. The U.S. proposed releasing Rahim in exchange for George Glezmann, Ryan Corbett, and Mahmoud Habibi, an Afghan-American abducted in 2022. The Taliban countered by demanding Rahim and two others but denied holding Habibi.
Habibi’s case remains unresolved. The Taliban continue to hold him, though they have never publicly acknowledged this fact. They also retain the remains of Paul Overby, another American whose circumstances remain unclear. These ongoing detentions highlight the complexity and sensitivity of U.S.-Taliban relations and the challenges involved in securing the release of American nationals.
In a statement released to CBS News, Ahmad Habibi, the brother of Mahmoud Habibi, praised the release of Coyle and expressed hope that his own family would soon experience similar relief. He criticized the Taliban’s denials regarding his brother’s detention, arguing that these falsehood