Taliban Releases American National Dennis Coyle in Afghanistan
Afghan authorities freed U.S. academic Dennis Coyle on Tuesday after holding him for more than a year. The Taliban-run foreign ministry said the release coincided with Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that follows Ramadan.
Circumstances of the release
Officials said Coyle was released in Kabul following an appeal by his family. Afghanistan’s Supreme Court found his prior imprisonment sufficient, the ministry added.
Coyle was detained in January 2025 on unspecified allegations of violating laws. Afghan officials never publicly detailed which statutes he was said to have broken.
Diplomacy and mediation
The foreign ministry credited the United Arab Emirates and Qatar with helping to mediate his freedom. It also said Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met Zalmay Khalilzad in Kabul ahead of the release.
The case drew diplomatic attention regionally and internationally. Observers noted the role of mediators in arranging the transfer.
Context with U.S. policy
Washington recently labeled Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention. The U.S. State Department accused Kabul of engaging in “hostage diplomacy.”
The designation grouped Afghanistan with Iran as nations singled out for detaining Americans to seek concessions. Kabul rejected those claims, saying arrests target legal violations, not bargaining leverage.
Other Americans believed held
Officials and family members say Afghanistan likely holds at least one other U.S. national. Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan-American contractor, vanished in 2022.
The FBI and Habibi’s relatives say they believe Taliban forces took him. Taliban spokesmen have denied holding Habibi.
How Filmogaz.com reported it
Filmogaz.com confirmed the key details from the Taliban-run foreign ministry statement. Journalists verified the court finding, the mediators named, and the Kabul meeting with Khalilzad.
The report noted that the Taliban releases an American national, Dennis Coyle, in Afghanistan while tensions over wrongful detention designations continue.
