The Taliban foreign ministry said in a statement that Afghan authorities had received ​a letter from Coyle’s mother requesting her son be pardoned and released on ⁠the occasion of the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, following which the Supreme Court of ​Afghanistan “deemed the period of his detention sufficient and decided to release him”.

The US government censured Afghanistan earlier ​this month over its detention of American citizens, with US officials warning they could ban US passport holders from travelling to Afghanistan if it did not comply, a restriction currently only in place for North Korea.

The US ​State Department’s hostage affairs office said Coyle’s release does not lift the March 9 designation against ​the Taliban government.

“While this is a positive step by the Taliban, more work needs to be done,” Secretary ‌of ⁠State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

“We are still seeking the immediate return of Mahmood Habibi, Paul Overby, and all other unjustly detained Americans. The Taliban must end their practice of hostage diplomacy.”

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said Afghanistan did not detain citizens of any country for political purposes ​but over violations of its ​laws, and releases ⁠followed the completion of judicial procedures, according to the foreign ministry statement.

A senior US administration official said Coyle, 64, was taken from his home in ​Kabul in January 2025 and held without charges in near-solitary confinement.

His release ​followed direct ⁠action led by Rubio and a unified interagency effort, the official said, and credited the persistence of Coyle’s three sisters, whose advocacy helped drive the effort.

Rubio also thanked the United Arab Emirates ⁠for its ​support in securing Coyle’s release and Qatar’s support for and ​advocacy for US citizens unjustly detained in Afghanistan.