The Afghan Taliban released Dennis Coyle, a U.S. academic the group had detained since January 2025 for unspecified reasons, The New York Times reported on March 24. While official details surrounding the release remain scant, unnamed U.S. officials cited by CNN claimed recent U.S. diplomatic pressure on Afghanistan, alongside efforts by former Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and the United Arab Emirates, facilitated Coyle's release without requiring any concessions in exchange.

Afghanistan and the United States offered contrasting drivers for Coyle's release, with the Afghan Taliban claiming it released Coyle "based on humanitarian considerations and goodwill," while U.S. officials pointed to the alleged efficacy of recent U.S. efforts to pressure Afghanistan. The U.S. Trump administration has secured the release of other detained U.S. nationals from Afghanistan in recent months, typically through prisoner exchanges or by offering to ease restrictions on Afghanistan. However, the United States' March 9 designation of Afghanistan as a "state sponsor of wrongful detention" tentatively signaled that the United States could pursue a more assertive approach to secure U.S. nationals who remain in Afghanistan.