Afghanistan’s Taliban government released American academic Dennis Coyle in Kabul on Tuesday, more than a year after his detention in January 2025. The release occurred during Eid al-Fitr, following Ramadan, after an appeal from his family and a review by the country’s Supreme Court.
Coyle, a researcher who had resided in Afghanistan since the early 2000s, was arrested on allegations of violating unspecified laws. His release comes weeks after the United States designated Afghanistan a “state sponsor of wrongful detention.”
The Taliban announced Coyle had been reunited with his family. The State Department previously indicated at least four U.S. nationals were believed to be held in Afghanistan, and the family of the last Afghan held at Guantanamo Bay is seeking a reciprocal release.