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2w ago

Taliban Frees American Researcher Dennis Coyle After Yearlong Detention

The move followed stepped-up U.S. pressure, including a new 'wrongful detention' label for Afghanistan.

Image
American Dennis Coyle, second from right, is accompanied by an unidentified person after being released by Afghanistan's Taliban authorities, who had held him for over a year, before boarding a plane at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Mudassir Safi)
From left, UAE ambassador to Kabul Saif Al Ketbi, US citizen Dennis Coyle and former US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in Kabul on Tuesday. EPA

Overview

  • Coyle, 64, was released in Kabul on Tuesday after Afghanistan’s Supreme Court said his time in custody was sufficient following an Eid pardon plea from his family.
  • UAE officials facilitated the handover at the airport with former U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad present, and Coyle flew out on an Emirati jet before arriving back on U.S. soil Wednesday in San Antonio.
  • Taliban authorities alleged unspecified violations of Afghan law, while his family said he faced near-solitary confinement for over a year without charges.
  • U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the release and pressed for the return of other Americans, naming businessman Mahmood Habibi and author Paul Overby.
  • Earlier this month, the U.S. labeled Afghanistan a state sponsor of wrongful detention, a status that enables sanctions and travel limits to pressure those responsible.