The Afghan Foreign Ministry announced the release of US citizen Dennis Coyle, who had been detained in the country for more than a year. In a statement, the ministry said Coyle's family had written to the country's leadership, requesting his release and pardon for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, with the Supreme Court of the Islamic Emirate deeming his detention period sufficient and ordering his freedom.
The announcement followed a meeting involving Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, former US Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador to Kabul Saif Mohammed al-Ketbi, and a member of Coyle's family. The UAE facilitated the release, which the Afghan authorities described as being made on humanitarian grounds and as a gesture of "goodwill".
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked the UAE and Qatar for their support in securing Coyle's release, claiming it was a "positive step towards ending the practice of hostage diplomacy". However, this comes after Rubio recently designated Afghanistan's Taliban government as a "state sponsor of wrongful detention", warning that the country remains unsafe for US citizens and alleging ongoing issues with detentions.
Coyle was detained by Afghan authorities in January 2025 while allegedly working as an academic researcher to support Afghan language communities, according to the Foley Foundation, a group advocating for the release of US citizens detained abroad. The foundation reported that he had been held in near-solitary conditions, requiring permission even to use the bathroom and without access to adequate medical care.
The Afghan Foreign Ministry stated that Coyle was held due to violations of Afghanistan's applicable laws, without providing specifics, and Foreign Minister Muttaqi asserted that Afghanistan does not detain citizens of any country for political purposes but only for legal breaches. This release mirrors a similar move last year when five other US citizens were freed in what the Taliban authorities also termed a "goodwill gesture", raising questions about the consistency and motives behind such actions.
Source: www.aljazeera.com