As President Biden gets about to leave office, he has the opportunity to solidify his foreign policy legacy. A lady whose husband has been held captive in Afghanistan since 2022 has disclosed the “devastating” details of her long-awaited phone encounter with him.
After months of pleading with the president, Ryan Corbett’s wife Anna was finally granted a phone call with him on Sunday. Ryan has been detained by the Taliban since his detention began.
Unfortunately, the outcomes she had been seeking were not produced by that phone conversation.
“He was really compassionate and understanding, but I overheard him say that he will not be bringing Ryan home. That was heartbreaking since, as you mentioned, I have been fighting tooth and nail for Ryan and my family. Ryan simply continually falling short of goals, Corbett told “Fox & Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt on Monday.
“To hear after all this effort, there is a deal on the table, there is a way to bring Ryan home, and it’s not being taken, is incredibly crushing to our family,” said the woman.
On Sunday, the White House verified that Biden had a conversation with the relatives of George Glezmann, Mahmoud Habibi, and Corbett—all three of whom have been wrongfully imprisoned in Afghanistan by the Taliban since 2022.
In August 2022, one year after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, Ryan was kidnapped by the Taliban while on business in the nation. Ever since his unjust detention started, Corbett has spared no effort in her quest for her husband’s freedom.
“It’s very difficult because his conditions are not livable,” stated the woman. His health is deteriorating. He assured me over the phone that I wouldn’t be able to identify him.
By going to Mar-a-Lago, Corbett hoped to draw the attention of President-elect Donald Trump to her husband’s situation, taking her advocacy efforts to the next level.
“I have heard from several that President Trump is concerned about our family,” stated Corbett. We are down here, and he knows it. His attention is focused on our predicament.
Corbett was able to get Ryan’s predicament discussed over the weekend with Mike Waltz, who will be taking over as national security adviser.
“It was just mind-blowing because it took 16 months to actually get a meeting where I traveled to DC to meet with the current national security adviser, Jake Sullivan,” according to her. President Trump is clearly worried and wants to put our family first, as this indicates. I can feel his toughness. Making deals is his goal.
“I am extremely encouraged, and the contrast of my experience is just mind-blowing right now,” said the woman.
The Biden administration reportedly met with Taliban representatives this week to discuss exchanging a Guantanamo Bay detainee who was allegedly connected to Usama bin Laden for three American hostages held in Afghanistan.
A senior Taliban official informed The Guardian that the accord appeared to have stalled because the organization preferred to wait to talk with the soon-to-be Trump administration.
Corbett held out hope that the Trump administration will return Ryan to her despite her history of failures.
“I am certain they will return Ryan home,” Corbett declared. Naturally, the specifics are not clear. Ryan and George, who are being jailed alongside him, have done nothing wrong. It’s pretty evident that the next government cares about getting U.S. citizens back to their country, but this is difficult, and I’m not a specialist in any of this.
When her husband expressed his displeasure with the length of his confinement, Corbett claimed she had a conversation with him on Sunday.
“He wants to come home and be with his family,” stated the woman. As a father, he’s fantastic. ‘I feel horrible for all that you’re having to do for me,’ he remarked. Absolutely, I will try my best. I’m a mother. I want my kids to have their dad back in their life because this is what parents do.