Arizona leaders celebrated the news on Tuesday, that Dennis Coyle, whose family hails from Arizona, had been released by the Taliban.
“So happy to finally see Arizona native Dennis Coyle released and on his way home to his family after more than a year of being wrongfully detained by the Taliban,” stated Senator Mark Kelly on X.com. “I know how relieved his loved ones must be, and I appreciate everyone who played a role in securing his release.”
In September 2025, Congressman Abe Hamadeh co-led a letter with Kelly to President Trump urging action in the case of Coyle.
Most recently, Hamadeh (AZ-08) demanded the immediate release of Coyle, whom the Taliban had been holding in Afghanistan since January 2025, in solitary confinement without charge or due process.
At the time, Hamadeh noted that the United States has entered a new era when it comes to bringing Americans home under President Trump’s leadership.
We know how fiercely Dennis Coyle’s sisters Molly Long, Amy Sessions, and Patti McLaughlin fought for his release.
Their strength and unwavering advocacy helped sustain him through 14 months of captivity in Afghanistan, and it motivated all of us to keep pushing until he was… https://t.co/YK4g4xOA7H pic.twitter.com/EkwEYvjmB6
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) March 24, 2026
Hamadeh says that the release of Coyle proves that the Trump administration has made release of American hostages and detainees a top priority.
“Today I join Dennis’s family, friends, and my fellow citizens in finally celebrating his long awaited return to American soil. His agonizing and unacceptable captivity is over. When I met Dennis’ family, who were relentless in their pursuit to see Dennis again, I vowed to use every tool available to bring him home” said Congressman Hamadeh. “America First means no Americans left behind. I’m grateful to President Trump and his diplomatic team for delivering on that promise and bringing Dennis home safely to his family.”
🇺🇸WATCH🇺🇸
"For the past few weeks, Dennis’s family has given me this photo of him with his family members, and I’ve kept it sitting on my desk.
Finally, there’s some justice."
Congressman Hamadeh celebrates the release of Dennis Coyle after 14 months of captivity at the hands… pic.twitter.com/iW5sJQx70T
— Office of Congressman Abe Hamadeh (@RepAbeHamadeh) March 25, 2026
The Coyle family posted a message on their website that read in part:
To our many champions on the Hill, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair James Risch, Senator John Cornyn, Senator Mark Kelly, and Senator John Hickenlooper, also Congressman Abe Hamadeh, Congressman Jeff Hurd, Congressman J. French Hill, and Congressman Jeff Crank – you never gave up on Dennis and are a testament to what we can achieve when we work together across party lines.
Credited for being an emissary of the Peace Through Strength agenda, Hamadeh, a former U.S. Army Reserve Intelligence Officer recently travelled to Syria to meet with President al-Sharaa to discuss the return of Kayla Mueller’s body to her family in Arizona. He also successfully advocated for Elizabeth Tsurkov’s recent release by Hezbollah in Iraq, where she survived 903 days of captivity.
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