State Department Secures the Release of American Man Wrongfully Detained in Afghanistan

After over a year in custody of the Taliban, 64-year-old Dennis Coyle from Colorado is finally coming home.

The U.S. State Department recently secured his release from Afghanistan.

Coyle, an academic researcher who was living in Kabul, was wrongfully arrested in January of 2025 and has been held in near-solitary confinement ever since.

This clip from Fox News has more details on his release:

The Taliban in Afghanistan has released American academic Dennis Coyle, a 64-year-old U.S. citizen from Colorado who was detained in Kabul in January 2025.

Coyle had been held for more than a year (approximately 14 months).
⁰Fox News’ Bret Baier: “The release follows the… pic.twitter.com/6YipysoYYc

— RedWave Press (@RedWavePress) March 24, 2026

The Taliban in Afghanistan has released American academic Dennis Coyle, a 64-year-old U.S. citizen from Colorado who was detained in Kabul in January 2025.

Coyle had been held for more than a year (approximately 14 months).
Fox News’ Bret Baier: “The release follows the State Department’s designation of Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention.”

This comes after Marco Rubio designated Afghanistan as a state sponsor of wrongful detention.

Fox News reported:

An American man held by the Taliban for more than a year without charges has been released and is on his way home, Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler told Fox News.

Dennis Coyle, 64, an academic who spent nearly two decades working in Afghanistan, was taken from his home in Kabul in January 2025 by Taliban intelligence and held in near-solitary confinement, Boehler said, adding that Coyle committed no crime and was used as leverage.

“The United States welcomes the release of American citizen Dennis Coyle, who was wrongfully detained in Afghanistan for more than a year,” Boehler said in a statement to Fox News.

“President Trump made clear: the United States will not tolerate the unjust detention of its citizens — anywhere. His personal determination — executed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a fully aligned interagency team — has driven a shift to accountability, pressure and results.”

Coyle’s family said he had been legally working in Afghanistan to support language communities as an academic researcher.

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Rubio welcomed Coyle’s release, saying it was a “positive step by the Taliban,” but added that the United States is 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,” Rubio said. “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.”

The White House shared a photo of Dennis Coyle on his way back home:

In January, President Donald J. Trump vowed to secure the release of Dennis Coyle.

Today, after more than a year of captivity in Afghanistan, Dennis Coyle is free and heading home to America.

Another Promise Made, Promise Kept. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QTX60YKI0k

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 24, 2026

Welcome back, Dennis!

He’s finally free.

CBS News shared a statement of gratitude from Coyle’s family:

“Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Dennis’ life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 421 days of our lives,” Coyle’s family said in a statement shared first with CBS News.

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A Taliban senior official involved in prisoner negotiations told CBS News that the Taliban and U.S. have been holding talks since the last week of February.

Coyle, a 64-year-old academic from Colorado, was taken by force from his Kabul apartment by the Taliban. His abduction came just six days after another American, Ryan Corbett, was released at the start of President Trump’s second term.

Coyle’s family said they were “profoundly grateful” to Mr. Trump, Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio and others in the administration, leaders in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and all those who assisted and advocated on his behalf. “Your efforts as mediators, your compassion, and your commitment to diplomacy have given our family the most precious gift imaginable: Dennis’ freedom,” the family wrote.

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