Taliban Announces Release of U.S. Citizen Dennis Coyle After Year of Detention

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Taliban Announces Release of U.S. Citizen Dennis Coyle After Year of Detention

1 month ago

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Taliban Announces Release of U.S. Citizen Dennis Coyle After Year of Detention

Credited from: LEMONDE

The Taliban has released U.S. citizen Dennis Coyle after holding him for over a year.
Coyle's release was coordinated with assistance from the UAE and Qatar and coincided with the Eid holiday.
The U.S. State Department has designated Afghanistan as a "state sponsor of wrongful detention."
Coyle was reportedly held in near-solitary confinement without charges being specified.
U.S. officials continue to advocate for the release of other detained Americans, including Mahmood Habibi.

The Taliban government of Afghanistan confirmed the release of U.S. national Dennis Coyle, who had been detained since January 2025. The official announcement on March 24 stated that the release followed a letter from Coyle's family requesting his freedom in time for the Eid al-Fitr holiday. The Taliban's Supreme Court deemed his imprisonment sufficient and ordered his release, citing a gesture of “goodwill” CBS News, Le Monde, South China Morning Post, Los Angeles Times.

Coyle, 64, was detained while working as a language researcher in Afghanistan, where he had lived for nearly two decades. His family described the conditions of his detention as dire, indicating he was held in near-solitary confinement, lacking access to suitable medical care, and needing permission for even basic needs BBC, India Times. During a news conference after his release, Coyle expressed relief as he was received by family members in Kabul Al Jazeera.

Los Angeles Times, India Times.

On a broader scale, the U.S. government has recently escalated accusations against the Taliban, declaring Afghanistan as a state sponsor of wrongful detention. This designation asserts that the Taliban uses hostage diplomacy to achieve political ends, a claim Afghan authorities dispute, maintaining that detentions occur due to legal violations, not political motivations BBC, Los Angeles Times.