The family of Ryan Corbett, an American humanitarian who has been imprisoned without charge by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers since August 2022, said a brief, "disturbing" phone call from him this week has them increasingly concerned about his declining mental and physical health.
Anna Corbett, Ryan's wife, said in a statement that she and their three children received a "deeply disturbing 12-minute call from Ryan" on Tuesday, "in which Ryan exhibited a significantly deteriorated mental state. His captors have told him that he is forgotten by his country, and it seems he now believes them."
The family, who live in New York, said Ryan told them on the call that he'd suffered from "high fevers last week that went undiagnosed."
Anna and the couple's three children, 18-year-old Ketsia, 16-year-old Miriam and 13-year-old Caleb, have had just five short phone calls from Ryan, totalling 44 minutes, since he was detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2022, a year after the Islamic extremists retook control over the country and the U.S.-led international military coalition withdrew.
Taliban intelligence officials informed CBS News in December that Ryan, aged 40, had been accused of engaging in anti-state activities, a common charge against Western individuals. The U.S. State Department has concluded that Corbett is being held "wrongfully detained," indicating the government's belief that the allegations against him are unfounded.
"I urge the president to recognize that the failure to take action to bring Ryan home could lead to catastrophic consequences," she remarked, in reference to President Biden.
Qatar, acting as the United States' Protecting Power for Afghanistan due to the absence of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Kabul, has dispatched officials to meet with Ryan in person on two occasions, first in January 2023, and then again in December.
In a special TV interview in December, Anna shared with CBS News that Ryan had been experiencing a constant ringing in his ears, deteriorating vision, and seizures during his nearly 600-day captivity by the Islamist militants. She also disclosed that a childhood incident had caused Ryan to suffer a collapsed lung, rendering him more susceptible to pneumonia while being confined "in a damp and cold basement" throughout his imprisonment.
American Hostage in Afghanistan Reportedly Living in Comfort, Taliban Claims
A recent report from a Taliban intelligence official revealed that an American hostage, identified as Ryan, is said to be in good health and living comfortably in Afghanistan. The official stated that Ryan is staying in a "guesthouse" where he has daily access to sunlight, goat and sheep meat, newspapers, magazines, and a small gym. However, these claims have not been verified by CBS News.
Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban's appointed envoy to the United Nations, also stated to CBS News that they do not torture or mistreat individuals in their custody.
The State Department, in response to Ryan's latest phone call to his family, expressed their concern for the well-being of Americans detained in Afghanistan and assured that they are actively working towards their release. They have been pressing for the immediate and unconditional release of all American detainees in Afghanistan through various channels, including meetings with Taliban representatives.
For reasons of privacy, safety, and operational security, the State Department refrained from discussing specific details of the cases of detained Americans publicly.
