A US citizen imprisoned in Afghanistan for more than a year has been launched, two US officers informed CNN on Tuesday, weeks after the Trump administration declared the nation a state sponsor of wrongful detention.
Dennis Coyle, a 64-year-old educational, was detained by the Taliban in Kabul in January 2025 and, in accordance with his household and the US authorities, held in close to solitary confinement whereas by no means being charged with a crime. He had spent practically 20 years working in Afghanistan.
According to the US officers, nothing was traded or given to safe Coyle’s freedom. Coyle’s launch was first reported by The New York Times.
One official mentioned that the designation of Afghanistan as a sponsor of wrongful detention, which is meant to punish international locations who take US residents as leverage, performed a position in pressuring the Taliban to free him.
That designation won’t be lifted, the officers added, as there are a minimum of two different US residents who stay detained there: Mahmood Habibi and Paul Overby.
The United Arab Emirates helped facilitate Coyle’s launch, one official mentioned.
This is a growing story and can be up to date.