Between the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Gaza wars, the Biden administration's disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan seems like a distant memory to many.
But for Anna Corbett, it's a permanent nightmare.
Anna's husband, Ryan Corbett, is one of at least three Americans who remain prisoners of the Taliban, a source familiar with the matter said. NBC news. And after more than a year of keeping quiet for fear of reprisals against her spouse, Anna is speaking out.
“I was so afraid of putting Ryan at risk,” Anna told NBC News. “I was advised not to raise his profile, to raise his value, but it just became clear that he has great value.”
According to the source, Ryan is languishing in a Kabul basement, spending his days in a 9-by-9-foot cell.
He is not completely alone. Other Western prisoners are held by the Directorate General of Intelligence, the Taliban's top spy agency.
Ryan “survives on scraps of fatty meat, has to request access to the bathroom and rarely has access to sunlight, according to inmates who shared his cell and have since been released,” reports NBC News. “They say Ryan, who has been incarcerated since August 2022, has passed out, suffered seizures and discolored limbs.”
Twice, one of Ryan's fellow prisoners suffered from sepsis. Fearing for her husband's physical and mental well-being, Anna decided to break her 14-month silence, testifying before Congress two weeks ago and asking the country's lawmakers for help.
(Video: YouTube)
“They assured me Ryan is important. They won't let anything happen,” Anna said. “But… this man almost died.”
Although the United States does not recognize the Taliban as the official government of Afghanistan, it does continue to engage in diplomatic discussions with radical Islamists. There is no longer a US diplomatic presence in the country; that ended when the Biden administration closed the US embassy and pulled out our troops two years ago.
The more U.S. officials have increased their communications with the Taliban, the less Anna has heard from her husband, prompting her to finally speak out.
“It's been too long, and I'm worried about escalating these talks with the Taliban and maybe losing leverage points that can be used to bring Ryan home,” Anna explained. “I know it's extremely complex, but I'm just a normal mother who wants her husband back.”
After spending her youth in Europe, French Anna, 43, met Ryan, 40, while attending university in Wisconsin in 2000. Four years later, they married.
One of their three sons, Caleb, 13, was born in Afghanistan. The couple also have two daughters, Ketsia, 18, and Miriam, 16. Next year, Ketsia will leave home for college, and Anna hopes Ryan will be released before that milestone passes.
“The Corbetts moved to Afghanistan in 2010, working with NGOs supporting humanitarian projects and then started 'Bloom Afghanistan,' a microfinance company focused on providing Afghans with the tools they needed to build small businesses. success,” reports NBC News. “Ryan learned to speak Pashto, the language spoken in southern and eastern Afghanistan, and became close to his clients and their families. Even after his family fled the country in 2021 with other Americans, the Corbetts struggled to leave their home, their community and their lives behind in Afghanistan.”
Ryan returned to Afghanistan first in January 2022 and again in August of that year. It was during the second trip that the Taliban arrested him, his European colleague and two of his Afghan associates. All of Ryan's companions were released, but despite never having been charged with a crime, the humanitarian remains a prisoner.
The State Department has gotten involved, declaring in September that Ryan had been wrongfully detained. The finding paves the way for “high levels of negotiations and diplomatic resources, including possible prisoner exchanges to secure their release,” according to NBC News.
As American families prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving, Anna was even able to speak on the phone with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
His family has only had one six-minute call with Ryan since his arrest.
“His last consular visit from the government of Qatar, acting as protecting power on behalf of the US government, was in January 2023,” according to NBC News. “Earlier this month, Ryan was able to speak with US consular officials for three minutes on the phone and hear firsthand that the Biden administration was working on his case.”
Although she is grateful for the efforts of the Biden administration, Anna fears that her husband's strength is running out.
“They've said this is our number one priority. But there's an American sitting in a basement for 15 months. I think they can do more,” Anna said. “They have done a lot and I am grateful for that. But more needs to be done so they can bring him home.”
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