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Who is Dennis Coyle? Colorado native freed by Taliban after over a year detention
Dennis Coyle, a US detainee in Kabul since January 2025, has been released by the Taliban ahead of Eid.
Afghanistan's Taliban government on Tuesday declared that it had released US detainee Dennis Coyle, who had been held in captivity in Kabul since January 2025.
Coyle's family had advocated for his release through a heartfelt letter to the regime, and Afghanistan's foreign ministry stated that he would be liberated in time for Eid, the Islamic festival celebrating the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan undertakes this action on the basis of humanitarian compassion and goodwill,” Taliban's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement, as per The NY Post.
“It has further strengthened the atmosphere of trust between the two countries,” the ministry added. “Likewise, it expresses the hope that both countries will, in the future, find ways to resolve the remaining issues through mutual understanding and constructive dialogue.”
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Who is Dennis Coyle?
Coyle, originally from Colorado, had spent approximately twenty years in Afghanistan focusing on language studies.
He was taken from his apartment in Kabul by Taliban forces just days following the release of two other American detainees, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty.
As per Coyle's family, he was never accused of any wrongdoing.
A website established by his family, freedenniscoyle.com, stated that he was “legally working to support Afghan communities as an academic researcher” at the time of his detention.
They said he has been kept in “near-solitary conditions, requiring permission even to use the bathroom, and without access to adequate medical care.”
Coyle initially visited Afghanistan in the early 2000s “to survey Afghanistan's rich linguistic diversity and help Afghan communities develop resources in their own languages.”
US-Afghanistan talks for release of Coyle
Discussions regarding the release of Coyle with Afghanistan commenced in late February, as reported by CBS News, referencing a Taliban official.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio classified the Kabul regime as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention," accusing the Taliban of "unjustly" detaining Americans and other foreign nationals through the use of “terror tactics.”
“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,” Rubio stated in a statement Tuesday.
