Afghanistan Releases American National Dennis Coyle After More Than a Year Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government released American academic Dennis Coyle on Tuesday, nearly 15 months after his detention, with officials citing the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday marking the end of Ramadan, as the reason for his release. The foreign ministry stated that Coyle, who had been held in Kabul, was freed following an appeal from his family and after the Supreme Court deemed his prior imprisonment sufficient. The ministry did not specify the legal basis for his initial detention, which began in January 2025. Coyle, a researcher, was arrested on allegations of violating unspecified laws, though Afghan authorities have not publicly detailed the charges against him. In a separate statement, the Taliban’s foreign ministry acknowledged the involvement of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in mediating his release. It also noted that Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had met with former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad in Kabul prior to the release. The U.S. State Department had recently designated Afghanistan as a “sponsor of wrongful detention,” accusing the country of using the detention of foreigners as a tool for “hostage diplomacy.” This designation places Afghanistan alongside Iran as nations singled out by the U.S. for allegedly detaining Americans to extract political concessions. In response, Afghan officials denied the allegations, asserting that arrests are conducted for legal violations rather than as part of diplomatic negotiations. Authorities in Afghanistan are believed to hold at least one other U.S. national, Mahmood Habibi, an Afghan American businessman who disappeared in 2022 while working as a contractor for a Kabul-based telecommunications company.#qatar #united_arab_emirates #afghanistan #talia #dennis_coyle
US Citizen Imprisoned in Afghanistan Freed After More Than a Year A U.S. citizen who had been held captive in Afghanistan for over a year was released, according to two U.S. officials who spoke to CNN on Tuesday. The announcement came weeks after the Trump administration labeled Afghanistan a state sponsor of wrongful detention, a designation intended to pressure governments that hold American citizens hostage. Dennis Coyle, a 64-year-old academic, was detained by the Taliban in Kabul in January 2025. His family and the U.S. government have stated that he was held in near solitary confinement without being charged with any crime. Coyle had spent nearly two decades working in Afghanistan before his arrest. The officials confirmed that no negotiations, trades, or payments were involved in securing Coyle’s release. The New York Times was the first to report his freedom. One official suggested that the U.S. designation of Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention played a key role in pressuring the Taliban to release him. However, the officials noted that the designation will remain in place, as at least two other U.S. citizens—Mahmood Habibi and Paul Overby—continue to be held in the country. The United Arab Emirates is believed to have facilitated Coyle’s release, according to one official. The situation remains under review, with further updates expected as the circumstances surrounding his detention and release are clarified.#united_arab_emirates #afghanistan #us_citizen #talia #dennis_coyle
