Dennis Coyle, an American previously detained in Afghanistan, expressed deep gratitude at his release, having spent over a year detained in the country.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Coyle’s release on Tuesday after it was ordered personally by Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of Afghanistan. Coyle, 64, had been studying languages in the country for the past 20 years when the Taliban detained him, a detainment his family and the United States argued was arbitrary.
Coyle flew back to the U.S. on Tuesday and said he is “very appreciative” of those who advocated for his release. He said he had a “priceless” discussion with his mother ahead of his arrival in Texas.
“And I said, of course, I’m very thankful to be going back to my homeland,” Coyle said on NewsNation’s CUOMO on Tuesday. “I’m very proud to be an American. There’s a Pashto proverb that says, to every person their homeland is like Kashmir, which means it’s special. So I love my country. But yet, God has given me a love for Afghans also. And while there’s much joy coming home, much of my life, the last 20 years has been invested there, and there’s some regret, but even a hint of sadness that way, with much, of course, joy.”
Adam Boehler, Trump’s special envoy for hostage response, said the Trump administration “prioritizes” bringing U.S. hostages home. He added that the administration’s actions in Iran and Venezuela mean it doesn’t “tolerate things,” which returns hostages and is “very satisfying” to see.
NewsNation host Katie Pavlich asked President Donald Trump about Coyle’s detainment during a one-on-one interview on Jan. 20, the first anniversary of Trump’s return to the Oval Office. Trump asked for the hostage’s name and said he would “take care of that.”
Pavlich shared Coyle’s first photo “as a free man” on X on Tuesday morning.
“President Trump said during our @NewsNation interview on January 20, 2026 that he would work to get Dennis released,” Pavlich said on X. “He directed his team to get it done and two months later, Dennis is coming home.”
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Coyle was detained for 422 days. The U.S. State Department declared him as wrongfully detained under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, according to the Foley Foundation.
Rubio warned hostile state actors, including Iran, that the U.S. will no longer engage in “hostage diplomacy” on March 9, which is also U.S. Hostage and Wrongful Detainee Day.
