Dennis Coyle, a U.S. citizen from Colorado, was released Tuesday after more than a year of detention in Afghanistan, according to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Today, Dennis is on his way home,” Rubio said, noting that he had met with Coyle’s siblings earlier this month. “We thank the UAE and Qatar for their support. The release is a positive step towards ending the practice of hostage diplomacy.”
Coyle, 64, an academic researcher who had worked in Afghanistan for decades, was detained by the Taliban on Jan. 27, 2025, and held without charges, including periods of near-solitary confinement, according to U.S. officials.
In June, the State Department declared that Coyle was wrongfully detained under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act.
“President Trump promised Dennis’s sisters we would bring him home,” said Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to the president. “Then Secretary Rubio designated the Taliban State Sponsors of Wrongful Detention earlier this month, and now Dennis is coming home.”
Rubio also called for the “immediate return of Mahmoud Habibi, Paul Overby, and all other unjustly detained Americans.”
“The Taliban must end their practice of hostage diplomacy,” he reiterated.
Coyle’s family thanked U.S. officials, adding that “we remain mindful of the many families who are still waiting for their loved ones to return, including the families of Mahmoud Habibi and Paul Overby.”
