Release of Dennis Coyle

After more than a year of captivity in Afghanistan, Dennis Coyle is on his way home. President Trump is committed to ending unjust detentions overseas – Dennis joins over 100 Americans who have been freed in the past 15 months under his second term in office. We thank the United Arab Emirates for its support in securing Dennis’ release. We also appreciate Qatar’s continued support and advocacy for Americans unjustly detained in Afghanistan. While this is a positive step by the Taliban, more work needs to be done. 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. Dennis Coyle was freed on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr following more than a year of wrongful detention — and his mother and sisters have been waiting for him in the Phoenix area the entire time. An American academic with deep Arizona roots is free after spending more than 14 months in Taliban custody in Afghanistan, his release coming on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr and drawing immediate relief from family, lawmakers and senior U.S. officials. Dennis Coyle, 64, was detained in January 2025 on unspecified allegations of violating Afghan laws. The U.S. State Department had formally designated him as wrongfully detained — a designation that carries diplomatic weight and typically triggers more aggressive government advocacy on behalf of the detainee. Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that Coyle had been freed in Kabul, with the country’s Supreme Court determining that the time he had already served was sufficient. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the release and credited mediation efforts by the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in helping secure the outcome. The Taliban, for its part, framed the release as the result of a standard judicial process rather than diplomatic pressure. The timing was complicated by a broader deterioration in U.S.-Taliban relations. Earlier this month, Washington officially designated Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention, accusing the Taliban government of using detained Americans as diplomatic leverage. Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi rejected that characterization.