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Afghan Taliban Releases US Linguist Dennis Coyle After More Than a Year

Dennis Coyle was held nearly 14 months without charges in near-solitary confinement; UAE and Qatar mediated his release amid U.S. pressure on Taliban's wrongful detention practices.

  • On Tuesday, Afghanistan's Taliban government released American researcher Dennis Coyle after 14 months of detention, claiming the 64-year-old academic was pardoned for Eid al-Fitr following time served for violating unspecified laws.
  • Taliban intelligence detained Coyle without charges at his Kabul apartment in January 2025, holding him in near-solitary confinement. This prompted Secretary of State Marco Rubio to designate Afghanistan a 'state sponsor of wrongful detention' earlier this month.
  • The United Arab Emirates and Qatar facilitated the release through mediation involving former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad. According to officials, no concessions were traded to secure Coyle's freedom.
  • "Today, after more than a year of captivity in Afghanistan, Dennis Coyle is on his way home," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said. The administration added that more work remains to free other detained Americans.
  • Washington continues to seek the release of Mahmood Habibi and Paul Overby, who remain detained in Afghanistan. The State Department maintains the Taliban must end its practice of using 'hostage diplomacy' for political leverage.
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Afghanistan releases detained US citizen

Afghanistan's Taliban government released a US national on Tuesday who had been detained for more than a year, after a letter from his family requesting his freedom.

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King5 News broke the news in Seattle, United States on Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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