Taliban Releases U.S. Citizen Dennis Coyle After Year, Says Family Letter Pardons Him for Eid

Afghanistan’s Taliban government announced the release of a U.S. national detained since January 2025. The foreign ministry stated it agreed to the release after receiving a letter from the family, stating that Dennis Coyle “would be pardoned and released” for Eid.

A senior Taliban official involved in prisoner negotiations told CBS News that talks with the U.S. began late February. Coyle, a 64-year-old academic from Colorado, was forcibly taken from his Kabul apartment by the Taliban. His abduction occurred six days after another American, Ryan Corbett, was released at the start of President Trump’s second term.

Coyle spent nearly two decades in Afghanistan conducting language research and was held in near-solitary confinement with no charges filed, according to his family. The release highlights ongoing risks for Americans in Afghanistan, even those with legal status and local ties.

Last June, the U.S. government designated Coyle as wrongfully detained under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act. This designation unlocks select government tools and elevates efforts to secure his release priority. The United States does not recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government and lacks a diplomatic presence there, complicating negotiations often conducted by Qatar.

The Biden administration held talks with the Taliban to swap Americans detained in Afghanistan for Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, a Guantanamo Bay detainee alleged to have been an associate of Osama bin Laden. The talks fell through as the U.S. proposed releasing Rahim in exchange for George Glezmann, Ryan Corbett and Afghan-American Mahmoud Habibi, abducted in 2022. The Taliban countered by seeking Rahim and two others while denying holding Habibi.

The official told CBS News that Rahim “should have been freed by now, but unfortunately the American side have not acted on their earlier promises and commitments yet.” Qatari negotiators helped release Corbett and William McKenty in January, Glezmann and another American in March, followed by Amir Amiri in September. The State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Habibi’s return.