See the moment Dennis Coyle reunites with family after return home
Colorado researcher Dennis Coyle spent more than a year in Taliban captivity in Afghanistan.
American Dennis Coyle is back on U.S. soil, 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 as the sun rose 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.”
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 declared Afghanistan a state sponsor of wrongful detention earlier in March, urging the Taliban to release Coyle and other hostages.
Coyle’s family thanked President Donald Trump, Rubio and other officials for securing his release.
“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.
Contributing: Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY; Zach Hillstrom, the Pueblo Chieftain; Reuters
