politics
March 25, 2026
Taliban releases American Dennis Coyle after 14-month detention
The Taliban government of Afghanistan released American researcher Dennis Walter Coyle, 64, on Tuesday, ending a 14-month detention.
TL;DR
- American researcher Dennis Coyle, 64, was released by the Taliban after 14 months of detention.
- Afghanistan's leader, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, ordered Coyle's release.
- Washington and Coyle's family had been pressuring for his release, arguing his detention was arbitrary.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the release and thanked the UAE and Qatar for their assistance.
- Afghanistan was recently designated a "State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention" by the U.S. government.
- Two other Americans, Mahmood Shah Habibi and Paul Edwin Overby Jr., remain unaccounted for in Afghanistan.
- The U.S. administration maintains a hard-line stance against the Taliban, linking aid to reforms.
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