US citizen imprisoned in Afghanistan is freed after more than a year

A US citizen imprisoned in Afghanistan for more than a year has been released, two US officials told CNN on Tuesday, weeks after the Trump administration declared the country a state sponsor of wrongful detention.

Dennis Coyle, a 64-year-old academic, was detained by the Taliban in Kabul in January 2025 and, according to his family and the US government, held in near solitary confinement while never being charged with a crime. He had spent nearly 20 years working in Afghanistan.

According to the US officials, nothing was traded or given to secure Coyle’s freedom. Coyle’s release was first reported by The New York Times.

One official said that the designation of Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention, which is meant to punish countries that take US citizens as leverage, played a role in pressuring the Taliban to free him.

That designation will not be lifted, the officials added, as there are at least two other US citizens who remain detained there: Mahmood Habibi and Paul Overby.

The United Arab Emirates helped facilitate Coyle’s release, one official said.