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Afghan Taliban Frees US Researcher Dennis Coyle After Year in Detention
Afghan Taliban releases US linguist Dennis Coyle after over a year in detention. UAE helped facilitate his reunion with family in Kabul.
ND
by News Desk
2026-03-24
Afghan Taliban Frees US Researcher Dennis Coyle After Year in Detention

The Afghan Taliban announced on Tuesday the release of Dennis Coyle, a US national who had been detained in Afghanistan for more than a year.

The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Coyle’s family had formally requested his release to coincide with Eid. “The Supreme Court of the Islamic Emirate deemed his period of detention sufficient and decided on his release,” the ministry said in a statement.

The announcement followed a meeting involving Amir Khan Muttaqi, former US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, Saif Mohammed Al-Ketbi, and a member of Coyle’s family. The release was facilitated by the United Arab Emirates, and Coyle was reunited with his family in Kabul on Tuesday.

Coyle, 64, was arrested by Afghan authorities in January 2025. According to the Foley Foundation, which advocates for Americans detained abroad, he was “legally working to support Afghan communities as an academic researcher” at the time of his detention. The foundation noted that he had been held in near-solitary conditions, often requiring permission even to use the bathroom, and lacked adequate medical care.

Coyle first travelled to Afghanistan in the early 2000s to study the country’s linguistic diversity and help communities develop educational resources in their own languages. His family’s website, freedenniscoyle.com, praised his deep personal connection with Afghans, highlighting his years of service, cultural engagement, and strong relationships with local communities.

Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Afghanistan had been formally added to the US list of countries engaged in “wrongful detentions.” The Afghan authorities described this designation as “regrettable,” citing ongoing dialogue and previous releases mediated by Qatar.

In 2025, the Taliban authorities had released five other US citizens as a “goodwill gesture,” demonstrating a continued pattern of negotiated detentions and releases facilitated by international mediators.

Coyle’s release underscores the fragile and complex nature of US-Afghan relations, while highlighting the role of third-party diplomacy in securing the freedom of detained foreign nationals in Afghanistan.
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