Dennis Coyle back on US soil after release by Taliban in Afghanistan
Dennis Coyle back on US soil after release by Taliban in Afghanistan
Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAYWed, March 25, 2026 at 1:37 PM UTC
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American Dennis Coyle is back on U.S. soil on March 25, a day after being released by the Afghan Taliban following over a year of captivity.
Coyle, a Colorado researcher who was detained in January 2025 while in Afghanistan to study languages, was greeted by the cheers and embraces of loved ones, including his mother and sisters, at Joint Base San Antonio in Texas as the sun rose on March 25.
The Taliban said it decided to release Coyle after a request by his mother and after its Supreme Court "deemed the period of his detention sufficient."
American Dennis Coyle, who was detained by the Afghan Taliban government for more than year, is greeted as he arrives at Joint Base San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas, on March 25, 2026.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said March 24 that Coyle's release was a "positive" step by the Taliban but that it must end its practice of "hostage diplomacy." The United States deemed Afghanistan a state sponsor of wrongful detention earlier this month, urging the Taliban to release Coyle and other hostages.
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Coyle's family thanked President Donald Trump, Rubio and other officials for their efforts to secure his release.
1 / 0Afghanistan: America’s longest warUS soldiers look out over hillsides during a visit of the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan General Scott Miller at the Afghan National Army (ANA) checkpoint in Nerkh district of Wardak province on June 6, 2019.
"Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Dennis’ life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 421 days of our lives," Coyle's family said in a statement to the Pueblo Chieftain, part of the USA TODAY Network, on March 24.
Contributing: Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY; Zach Hillstrom, the Pueblo Chieftain; Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dennis Coyle back on US soil after release by Taliban in Afghanistan
Source: “AOL Breaking”
