Trump Administration Secures Release Of US Hostage Taken By Taliban

Dennis Coyle, 64, an academic who spent nearly two decades working in Afghanistan, was taken from his home in Kabul in January 2025 by Taliban intelligence and held in near-solitary confinement, Boehler said. He added that Coyle committed no crime and was used as leverage.

Officials did not immediately disclose what, if anything, the Taliban demanded in exchange for Coyle’s release, and Boehler did not detail the route Coyle is taking back to the U.S. But the administration portrayed the outcome as a win for its pressure campaign and a signal that Washington intends to keep pushing hard when Americans are grabbed overseas.

After more than a year in Taliban custody, 64-year-old US citizen Dennis Coyle is finally free and on his way home to the United States. 🇺🇸
The Colorado academic, who had spent nearly two decades in Afghanistan doing language research and supporting local communities, was… pic.twitter.com/Z5nE1qSJ7o

— Arkadalo ® (@Arkadalo) March 24, 2026