Afghanistan’s Taliban government announced the release and Dennis Coyle, a US citizen held for more than a year, after his mother plead for a pardon on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on March 24 that Coyle was “on his way home” and thanked Qatar and the United Arab Emirates for their “support” in the case.
Coyle, a 64-year-old academic from the state of Colorado, was detained in January 2025 for what were called “violations of Afghanistan’s applicable laws.” The charges were never detailed, giving rise to accusations that the Taliban purposely arrested foreign citizens to use as bargaining chips.
Coyle’s family has said he was working legally in the country “to support Afghan communities as an academic researcher.”
“While this is a positive step by the Taliban, more work needs to be done,” Rubio said in a statement.
“We are still seeking the immediate return of Mahmood Habibi, Paul Overby, and all other unjustly detained Americans. The Taliban must end their practice of hostage diplomacy.”
Other Americans In Captivity
Habibi is an American citizen who has been held in Afghanistan since August 10, 2022 — shortly after a US air strike killed Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri — without being charged with a crime. Overby is an American author who disappeared on his way to Waziristan, in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas near the Afghan border. It is unclear where he is, though many suspect he is in detention.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a statement the release came after the Supreme Court “deemed his [Coyle’s] period of detention sufficient and decided on his release.”
Muttaqi also rejected accusations that the Taliban detained foreign nationals for “political purposes.”
Coyle was accompanied by his brother and former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad at a handover ceremony at Kabul International Airport.
During the event, Mohammad Ibrahim, the son of Mohammad Rahim, an Afghan detainee who has been held at Guantanamo Bay for 19 years without charge, said his family had submitted a letter to the US delegation requesting it be delivered to Washington to seek his father’s release.
Rahim is believed to be the last Afghan national still held at the facility. Taliban officials have previously sought his release in exchange for American detainees.
