An American citizen held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan for over a year could soon be flying home thanks to efforts from the Trump administration in coordination with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Colorado native Dennis Coyle, 64, had spent decades working as an academic researcher in Afghanistan, but on January 27, 2025, he was taken into custody by the Taliban and held without charges, <a href="https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/hostage/dennis-coyle/#gsc.tab=0">according</a> to the James Foley Foundation, an American hostage advocacy group. After nearly 14 months in near-solitary confinement, Coyle&#8217;s release was finally secured, Trump&#8217;s special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler, told Fox News on Tuesday.
&#8220;President Trump made clear: the United States will not tolerate the unjust detention of its citizens—anywhere,&#8221; Boehler <a href="https://x.com/TreyYingst/status/2036424322428842210">said</a>. &#8220;His personal determination —executed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a fully aligned interagency team — has driven a shift to accountability, pressure, and results.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dennis Coyle is on his way home! We remain committed to freeing all Americans wrongfully detained abroad. Today the Taliban took an important step in the right direction, now they must release all remaining Americans immediately, including Mahmood Habibi and Paul Overby. <a href="https://t.co/EehmKvwyzI">pic.twitter.com/EehmKvwyzI</a>
— Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (@StateSPEHA) <a href="https://twitter.com/StateSPEHA/status/2036519843684401649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Since being taken into custody last January, Coyle&#8217;s elderly mother and three sisters have worked to help secure his release, raising concerns about his health. It&#8217;s unlikely the American has received proper medical care, according to a <a href="https://freedenniscoyle.com/">website</a> dedicated to raising awareness of Coyle&#8217;s situation. Coyle lived in Kabul after first arriving in Afghanistan in the early 2000s &#8220;to survey Afghanistan’s rich linguistic diversity and help Afghan communities develop resources in their own languages.&#8221; The American citizen had worked in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years before and kept up to date on his visas and work permits.
&#8220;We recognize the persistence of Dennis Coyle’s three sisters, whose advocacy helped drive this outcome. We recognize the efforts of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, partners in bringing Dennis home,&#8221; Boehler added.
Following the United States&#8217; messy withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 under former President Joe Biden, the Taliban kidnapped multiple U.S. citizens and held them in solitary confinement, allowing the Americans to maintain minimal communications with their families and the outside world.
Coyle is now the sixth American hostage to be released by the Taliban since Trump came back into the White House, and he &#8220;joins over 100 Americans who have been freed&#8221; throughout the world since Trump was sworn in on January 20, 2025, according to the State Department.
U.S. citizens Ryan Corbett and William McKenty were released by the Taliban last January following negotiations started by the Biden administration that came to fruition under Trump. Then, in March of last year, Americans George Glezmann and Faye Hall were released. Amir Amiri was freed from Taliban custody last September after nine months in confinement.
The State Department said on Tuesday that &#8220;more work needs to be done&#8221; to bring home Americans still held by the Taliban, including <a href="https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/hostage/mahmoud-habibi/#gsc.tab=0">Mahmoud Habibi</a> and author <a href="https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/hostage/paul-overby/#gsc.tab=0">Paul Overby</a>. Habibi, who was Afghanistan&#8217;s former director of civil aviation, was abducted from his vehicle and arrested by the Taliban in 2022. He is believed to still be in custody, but the Taliban denies that it is holding him. Overby was last seen while conducting research for a book in Afghanistan in 2014.
&#8220;The Taliban must end their practice of hostage diplomacy,&#8221; the State Department added.

Taliban/Dennis Coyle

Another American Is Coming Home After Trump Secures Hostage Deal

Trump Secures Release Of Another American Held Hostage By Taliban

Afghanistan

Hostages

Taliban

Trump Administration

Pakistan&#8217;s defense minister said Thursday that it was now “open war” between Pakistan and Afghanistan after violent border clashes, as both countries traded accusations over the escalating conflict.  
Afghanistan has been governed by the Taliban since the American withdrawal in 2021.
Afghan forces launched “preemptive” attacks Thursday on Pakistani military bases along the 1,640-mile border shared by the two countries, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. Pakistan responded with airstrikes and cross-border attacks targeting Taliban military posts. 
“In response to repeated border violations and provocations from Pakistani military circles, extensive preemptive operations have been launched against Pakistani military centers and paramilitary installations along the Durand Line,” Mujahid wrote on social media Thursday.  The Durand Line is the disputed border between the two countries.
Pakistan, a nuclear power, called the Afghan attacks “unprovoked” and said its military had begun retaliatory strikes. 
“Taliban regime forces are being delivered punishment in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors. Early reports confirm heavy casualties on Afghan side with multiple posts and equipment destroyed,” Pakistan&#8217;s Ministry of Information posted on X. 
The Pakistani response included airstrikes on the cities of Kabul and Kandahar. The Taliban said no one was injured in those strikes. 
Pakistan spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi <a href="https://x.com/mosharrafzaidi/status/2027154359491174519">said</a> the cross-border attacks had killed 133 Taliban fighters and wounded an additional 200. He added that 27 Taliban posts were destroyed and nine were captured. 
In a later statement, Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif accused Afghanistan of becoming a “proxy for India” and harboring terrorists. 
“The Taliban turned Afghanistan into a colony of India. They gathered all the terrorists of the world in Afghanistan and began exporting terrorism. They deprived their own people of basic human rights,” Asif said. “Pakistan made every effort to keep the situation normal through direct means and through friendly countries. It engaged in full-fledged diplomacy. But the Taliban became a proxy for India.”
“Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you,” he added. “We are your neighbors; we know your ins and outs.”
Last weekend, Pakistan <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghanistan-has-launched-retaliatory-attacks-pakistani-border-posts-taliban-2026-02-26/">launched</a> airstrikes in Eastern Afghanistan at locations it said were being used by Islamic State terrorists. After those strikes, the Taliban said it would give an &#8220;appropriate and measured response.&#8221; 
The violent exchanges follow a ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025 after similar deadly clashes along the border.

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN-CONFLICT

Nuclear Power Declares ‘Open War’ — What Just Erupted Along A Fragile Border

Global Politics

Pakistan

Politics

Afghanistan went under a “total internet blackout” beginning on Monday as the Taliban seeks to stop “immoral activities” by cutting off the country’s access to the rest of the world.
Internet and phone services have been disrupted for the 43 million people living in the Middle Eastern country, as people living outside Afghanistan are concerned about contacting family members and coworkers still in the country, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/29/asia/internet-blackout-afghanistan-latam-intl">reported</a>. Multiple flights scheduled to land in Kabul on Tuesday morning were also canceled, and the Taliban’s leadership has yet to address the issue.
NetBlocks, a watchdog group that monitors internet outages around the world, <a href="https://x.com/netblocks/status/1972679896729014371">said</a> on Monday that Afghanistan “is now in the midst of a total internet blackout as Taliban authorities move to implement morality measures, with multiple networks disconnected through the morning in a stepwise manner; telephone services are currently also impacted.”
In an update on Tuesday morning, NetBlocks added, “It has now been 24 hours since #Afghanistan imposed a national internet blackout, cutting off residents from the rest of the world; the ongoing measure marks the Taliban’s return to conservative values it espoused a quarter of a century ago, limiting basic freedoms.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
⚠️ Update: It has now been 24 hours since <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Afghanistan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Afghanistan</a> imposed a national internet blackout, cutting off residents from the rest of the world; the ongoing measure marks the Taliban&#8217;s return to conservative values it espoused a quarter of a century ago limiting basic freedoms <a href="https://t.co/8g04yEi4Ht">pic.twitter.com/8g04yEi4Ht</a>
— NetBlocks (@netblocks) <a href="https://twitter.com/netblocks/status/1973000138961600660?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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A Taliban official reportedly spoke to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/09/30/afghanistan-internet-blackout-taliban/">The Washington Post</a> on the condition of anonymity, saying that the internet shutdown had been discussed by the terror group for a week. The official added that the country could not survive without the internet and that “everything is at standstill at the moment.”
The Taliban’s move is the most severe action the regime has taken to cut off the country from the outside world since taking over in 2021. Taliban officials hinted at the tactic earlier this month, saying that it wanted “to prevent immoral activities,” according to CNN. Haji Zaid, the governor of northern Balkh province, said that an “alternative system will be established within the country for essential needs.”
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Along with disrupting communication between family members and colleagues, the internet shutdown also threatens to further hide the Taliban’s continued human rights abuses. Multiple American citizens who were held hostage by the Taliban were recently released, but at least one Afghan-American — <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/mahmood-shah-habibi">Mahmood Habibi</a> — is believed to still be in Taliban custody.
Since the Taliban took over the country following the United States’ withdrawal in 2021, the regime has also cracked down on women’s rights, banning girls from receiving secondary and higher education and forcing women out of jobs throughout the country.
“The silence online without Afghan voices from inside Afghanistan is deafening,” <a href="https://x.com/Mariamistan/status/1972729013354537017">said</a> Mariam Solaimankhil, who was a member of the Afghan government that was overthrown by the Taliban. “My heart hurts — our people are being cut off, and the world is left in darkness without them.”
Solaimankhil <a href="https://x.com/Mariamistan/status/1972712174595535242">called</a> on SpaceX owner Elon Musk to provide internet access to the country through his Starlink satellites. Starlink is currently exploring the expansion of its internet access to many countries in the Middle East, including Iran, Iraq, and Pakistan. However, there are no plans to provide service in Afghanistan, according to the company’s <a href="https://www.starlink.com/us/map?srsltid=AfmBOophrEog49L2FZMyb22Xb-CyY7MZXJmnyMT311mJ1J3HCS9vChQ4">availability map</a>.
“Starlink is the only way to break the chains of Taliban censorship,” she said. “This is the time where you stand on the right side of history.”

Taliban Cuts Internet To Stop ‘Immoral Activities,’ Severs Afghanistan’s Connection To Outside World

Internet

Middle East

World

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States is attempting to take back Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan after the base fell to the Taliban during the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal in 2021.
Trump made the comment while speaking at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the United Kingdom. The president blasted former President Joe Biden’s “total disaster” in Afghanistan, adding that during his first term in office, the Trump administration was planning on leaving the country “with dignity” and wanted to keep Bagram Air Base under U.S. control.
“We gave it to [the Taliban] for nothing,” Trump said. “We&#8217;re trying to get it back, by the way. That could be a little breaking news. We&#8217;re trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want that base back.”
“One of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” the president added. China has nuclear facilities in Xinjiang, an autonomous territory in northwest China that borders Afghanistan.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump just said the U.S. is seeking to *RECLAIM* Bagram Air Base in AFGHANISTAN, where Biden botched the withdrawal. Whoa.
&#8220;That could be some breaking news. WE WANT THAT BASE BACK!&#8221;
&#8220;One of the reasons &#8211; it&#8217;s an hour away from where CHINA makes its… <a href="https://t.co/gN6O8B9CkQ">pic.twitter.com/gN6O8B9CkQ</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1968686207757389922?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Trump did not specify how exactly he would attempt to reclaim the base. Afghanistan is still under the Taliban’s control.
U.S. and NATO forces withdrew from Bagram in early July 2021, which allowed the Taliban to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-taliban-overrun-bagram-air-base-numerous-high-value-prisoners-al-qaeda-members-freed">take it over</a> from the Afghan government days before a suicide bombing at the Kabul International Airport killed more than 180 people, including 13 U.S. troops. After gaining control of the massive U.S. base, the Taliban reportedly released terrorist prisoners who were held there. As the Taliban took control of Bagram and the rest of the country, U.S. forces rushed to evacuate troops, U.S. officials, and Afghan allies.
Trump recently <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy0ao_TZaVw">called</a> the Afghanistan withdrawal the “most embarrassing” moment in U.S. history. The Taliban also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/taliban-releases-photos-of-the-u-s-equipment-they-seized-from-bidens-disastrous-pullout">confiscated</a> billions of dollars’ worth of U.S. military equipment following Biden’s withdrawal.

Donald Trump

Trump ‘Trying’ To Reclaim Bagram Air Base, A Symbol Of Biden’s Failed Afghanistan Withdrawal

Trump 'Trying' To Reclaim Bagram Air Base, A Symbol Of Biden’s Failed Afghanistan Withdrawal

China

KABUL (Reuters) -One of Afghanistan&#8217;s worst earthquakes killed more than 800 people and injured at least 2,800, authorities said on Monday, as rescuers struggled to reach remote areas due to rough mountainous terrain and inclement weather.
The disaster will further stretch the resources of the war-torn nation&#8217;s Taliban, already grappling with crises ranging from a sharp drop in foreign aid to deportations of hundreds of thousands of Afghans by neighbouring countries.
Sharafat Zaman, spokesperson for the health ministry in Kabul, called for international aid to tackle the devastation wrought by the quake of magnitude 6 that struck around midnight local time, at a depth of 10 km (6 miles).
&#8220;We need it because here lots of people lost their lives and houses,&#8221; he told Reuters.
The quake killed 812 people in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Nangarhar, administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Ziaul Haq Mohammadi, a student at Al-Falah University in the eastern city of Jalalabad, was studying in his room at home when the quake struck. He said he tried to stand up but was knocked over by the power of the tremor.
&#8220;We spent the whole night in fear and anxiety because at any moment another earthquake could happen,&#8221; Mohammadi said.
Rescuers were battling to reach remote mountainous areas cut off from mobile networks along the Pakistani border, where mudbrick homes dotting the slopes collapsed in the quake.
&#8220;The area of the earthquake was affected by heavy rain in the last 24-48 hours as well, so the risk of landslides and rock slides is also quite significant &#8211; that is why many of the roads are impassable,&#8221; Kate Carey, an officer at the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), told Reuters.
Rescue teams and authorities are trying to dispose of animal carcasses quickly so as to minimise the risk of contamination to water resources, Carey said.
Casualties could rise as rescue teams access more isolated locations, authorities said.
&#8220;All our &#8230; teams have been mobilised to accelerate assistance, so that comprehensive and full support can be provided,&#8221; said health ministry spokesperson Abdul Maten Qanee, citing efforts in areas from security to food and health.
Reuters Television images showed helicopters ferrying out the affected, while residents helped security forces and medics carry the wounded to ambulances in an area with a long history of earthquakes and floods.
Military rescue teams fanned out across the region, the defence ministry said in a statement, with 40 flights carrying away 420 wounded and dead.
The quake razed three villages in Kunar, with substantial damage in many others, authorities said. At least 610 people were killed in Kunar with 12 dead in Nangarhar, they added.
It was Afghanistan&#8217;s third major deadly quake since the Taliban took over in 2021 as foreign forces withdrew, triggering a cut to the international funding that formed the bulk of government finances.
Diplomats and aid officials say crises elsewhere in the world, along with donor frustration over the Taliban&#8217;s policies towards women, including curbs on those who are aid workers, have spurred the cuts in funding.
Even humanitarian aid, aimed at bypassing political institutions to serve urgent needs, has shrunk to $767 million this year, down from $3.8 billion in 2022.
APPEALS FOR FUNDING
Humanitarian agencies say they are fighting a forgotten crisis in Afghanistan, where the United Nations estimates more than half the population is in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
&#8220;So far, no foreign governments have reached out to provide support for rescue or relief work,&#8221; a spokesperson of Afghanistan&#8217;s foreign office said on Monday.
Later, a spokesperson for China&#8217;s foreign ministry said it was ready to provide disaster relief assistance &#8220;according to Afghanistan&#8217;s needs and within its capacity&#8221;.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar of India said it had delivered 1,000 family tents to Kabul and was moving 15 tonnes of food material to Kunar, with more relief material to be sent from India starting Tuesday.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said its mission in Afghanistan was preparing to help those in areas devastated by the quake. Pope Leo also sent condolences for the dead.
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake that killed 1,000 people in the eastern region in 2022 was the first major natural disaster faced by the Taliban government.
Humanitarian officials and locals say almost two years after a powerful tremor hit the western city of Herat, many villages are still recovering and living in temporary structures.
Afghanistan is prone to deadly earthquakes, particularly in the Hindu Kush mountain range, where the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates meet.
Quakes in Afghanistan tend to be so deadly because of building construction that is often vulnerable to shaking, and the number of people living in the Hindu Kush, said Richard Walker, professor of tectonics at the University of Oxford.
(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul, Saeed Shah and Charlotte Greenfield in Islamabad, Mrinmay Dey and Hritam Mukherjee; writing by Ariba Shahid, Sudipto Ganguly and Shilpa Jamkhandikar; editing by Clarence Fernandez and Mark Heinrich)

Aftermath of deadly magnitude-6 earthquake in Afghanistan

Afghanistan Earthquake Kills 800, Injures Thousands As Taliban Seeks Global Aid

earthquake

Natural Disaster

The Trump administration announced on Thursday that it had secured the release of 66-year-old George Glezmann, a U.S. citizen who has been held captive by the Taliban since 2022.
&#8220;Today, after two and a half years of captivity in Afghanistan, Delta Airlines mechanic George Glezmann is on his way to be reunited with his wife, Aleksandra,&#8221; Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.
&#8220;George joins American Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, who were released from Afghanistan on the night of President Trump’s inauguration and returned home to their families,&#8221; he continued.
Glezmann was visiting Kabul as a tourist when he was detained by the Taliban on December 5, 2022, and held without cause or being charged, according to the <a href="https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/hostage/george-glezmann/#gsc.tab=0">Foley Foundation</a>. He was in Afghanistan to fulfill his dream of visiting every country, having already been to &#8220;well over 100,&#8221; the group said.
A resident of Atlanta, Georgia, Glezmann has had very limited contact with his family while in captivity, and his health has &#8220;deteriorated significantly while he had been in detention, and he has medical issues that require immediate care.&#8221;
Rubio said that Qatar played an &#8220;instrumental&#8221; role in getting Glezmann released after he was detained by the Taliban nearly a year and a half after former President Joe Biden&#8217;s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
&#8220;George’s release is a positive and constructive step,&#8221; Rubio added. &#8220;It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan. President Trump will continue his tireless work to free ALL Americans unjustly detained around the world.&#8221;
Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who assisted in the effort, said that the Taliban decided to free Glezmann as &#8220;a goodwill gesture&#8221; to President Donald Trump and the American people.
&#8220;@realDonaldTrump has made the freedom and homecoming of Americans held abroad a high priority,&#8221; he <a href="https://x.com/realZalmayMK/status/1902720314989064667">posted</a> on social media. &#8220;It is an honor to assist in this important effort.&#8221;

President Trump Participates In A Kennedy Center Board Meeting And Tour

Trump Admin Secures Release Of U.S. Citizen Held Captive By The Taliban

Marco Rubio

Secretary of State <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/marco-rubio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marco Rubio</a> said on Saturday evening that the Trump administration has learned that the Taliban is holding more American citizens hostage.
&#8220;Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported,&#8221; Rubio posted on X. &#8220;If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on Bin Laden.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Just hearing the Taliban is holding more American hostages than has been reported. If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders, maybe even bigger than the one we had on Bin Laden.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@secrubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/secrubio/status/1883296982346944822?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
Rubio did not release any other details about the hostages who are being held by the Taliban.
Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/rubio-demands-answers-2-more-americans-reportedly-held-taliban?intcmp=tw_fnc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the other American hostages being held were U.S. citizens George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi.
The news comes after American hostage Ryan Corbett&#8217;s family announced on Tuesday that he was freed by the Taliban, ending his 894-day captivity in Afghanistan.
Corbett was released just hours after President Donald Trump was sworn into office and after the Biden administration ramped up its negotiations with the Taliban in the past month. According to the Taliban, Corbett and one other hostage who wasn’t named were exchanged for terrorist Khan Muhammad, who was serving a life sentence in California.
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“Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,” the Corbett family said in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.
The family thanked Trump, former President Joe Biden, incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, incoming Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens for “their tireless work and steadfast dedication to bringing Ryan back to us.”
Muhammed, the terrorist exchanged for Corbett’s release, was convicted and sentenced on drug and narco-terrorism charges. The Department of Justice said that Muhammed “sought to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets” and attempted to send heroin to the U.S.
Corbett and his family first moved to Afghanistan in 2010 and started Bloom Afghanistan, an enterprise focused on improving the war-torn country’s private sector. The Corbett family safely evacuated from Afghanistan when the United States withdrew under Biden’s orders in August 2021, and then Ryan returned around five months later. He was captured by the Taliban a year after the Biden administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Vice President Vance Swears In Marco Rubio As Secretary Of State

Rubio Gets Tough With Taliban Terrorist Leaders After Learning They May Be Holding More U.S. Hostages

Terrorism

American hostage <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pressure-builds-for-biden-to-secure-release-of-american-held-hostage-by-taliban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ryan Corbett</a>&#8216;s family announced on Tuesday that he was freed by the Taliban, ending his 894-day captivity in Afghanistan.
Corbett was released just hours after President Donald Trump was sworn into office and after the Biden administration ramped up its negotiations with the Taliban in the past month. According to the Taliban, Corbett and one other hostage who wasn&#8217;t named were exchanged for terrorist Khan Muhammad, who was serving a life sentence in California, NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/american-held-afghanistan-released-final-hours-biden-administration-rcna188496" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
&#8220;Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives,&#8221; the Corbett family said in a statement shared with The Daily Wire.
The family thanked Trump, former President Joe Biden, incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, incoming Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens for &#8220;their tireless work and steadfast dedication to bringing Ryan back to us.&#8221;
Muhammed, the terrorist exchanged for Corbett&#8217;s release, was convicted and sentenced on drug and narco-terrorism charges. The <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2008/December/08-crm-1145.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a> said that Muhammed &#8220;sought to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan using rockets&#8221; and attempted to send heroin to the U.S.
Corbett and his family first moved to Afghanistan in 2010 and started Bloom Afghanistan, an enterprise focused on improving the war-torn country’s private sector. The Corbett family safely evacuated from Afghanistan when the United States withdrew under Biden’s orders in August 2021, and then Ryan returned around five months later. He was captured by the Taliban a year after the Biden administration&#8217;s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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Corbett&#8217;s wife, Anna, worked tirelessly to secure her husband&#8217;s release. She met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, urged the Biden administration to act, and spoke to numerous news outlets, including <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pressure-builds-for-biden-to-secure-release-of-american-held-hostage-by-taliban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a>, to raise awareness of Ryan&#8217;s dire situation. Last week, Anna spoke to &#8220;Morning Wire,&#8221; expressing her hope that her husband would be home soon.
In her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wife-of-american-held-hostage-by-taliban-hopes-for-her-husbands-return-under-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with &#8220;Morning Wire,&#8221; Anna told Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley that she recently met with Waltz, Trump&#8217;s National Security Advisor nominee, for &#8220;over an hour,&#8221; which was a sharp contrast to her experience with Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
“I had to beg and work so hard to have a meeting with the current National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, and it took 16 months to meet with him,” Anna said.
As the Corbett family expressed their gratitude for the work of the Trump and Biden teams, they also called for the release of two men still held by the Taliban, American George Glezmann and Afghan journalist Mahmoud Habibi.
&#8220;It was our hope that Ryan, George and Mahmoud would be returned to their families together, and we cannot imagine the pain that our good fortune will bring them,&#8221; the family said. &#8220;We recognize the immense privilege of our family’s reunion today, and pledge to keep praying – and fighting – for George and Mahmoud’s swift release.&#8221;

Ryan and Anna Corbett

‘Overwhelming Gratitude’: American Ryan Corbett Released From Taliban Captivity

'Overwhelming Gratitude': American Ryan Corbett Released From Taliban Captivity

Biden Administration

The following is an edited transcript of an interview between Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief John Bickley and Anna Corbett, whose husband has been held captive in Afghanistan for over two years, on a special <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/held-prisoner-in-afghanistan-a-family-s-fight-for-freedom-1-18-25">Saturday edition of Morning Wire</a>.
* * *
American Businessman Ryan Corbett moved his family to Afghanistan in 2010 where he started a business and became active in the community. But during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal the Corbett family evacuated leaving everything behind. Upon returning to his business in 2022, Ryan and several others were captured by the Taliban. Two years later he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pressure-builds-for-biden-to-secure-release-of-american-held-hostage-by-taliban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remains a prisoner</a>. Morning Wire sat down with Ryan’s wife, Anna, to discuss his unlawful detainment by the Taliban – and how the Biden administration and incoming Trump administration are handling it.
JOHN: Joining us now to discuss her husband, Ryan Corbett’s ongoing unlawful detention by the Taliban is Anna Corbett. Anna, thank you so much for coming on.
ANNA: Thank you for having me. I appreciate this opportunity.
JOHN: So, since your husband Ryan was captured, you’ve been really working to raise awareness and advocate for his release. That recently led to you talking on the phone with President Biden. First, how did that call go?
ANNA: It was a difficult call. I had just received a call from Ryan in the morning. I was traveling. There was a lot in my head and a lot of hope going into that call. And although he was kind and sympathetic to our family and obviously tracking the situation, hearing from him … that he did not seem to be bringing Ryan home and taking a deal on the table was devastating and obviously very disappointing.
JOHN: Was this the first time that you had talked to President Biden?
ANNA: It was the first time and I had been asking for an in-person meeting for a long time and that was also disappointing just to have a phone call with no video with him.
JOHN: What do you think is keeping the president from taking this deal?
ANNA: I don&#8217;t know. I am honestly very confused because I have raised a lot of attention and advocated very hard for Ryan, taken 16 trips to D.C., worked in a very bipartisan way, helped pass a House and a Senate resolution and I&#8217;m surprised that more progress wasn&#8217;t made during this administration. And I wonder if there is  fear because it&#8217;s Afghanistan, because of the withdrawal that happened and how it happened. I don&#8217;t know, but it&#8217;s very frustrating from where I sit because, as you know, I took a trip down to Florida to West Palm Beach and am working on advocating with the incoming administration, and it&#8217;s taking a lot of effort from our family.
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JOHN: I&#8217;m sure. What has been the tone from the incoming administration, the Trump administration?
ANNA: This past weekend, I flew down to Florida with my oldest daughter, Katzia, and put in requests to meet with President Trump – unsure of what the outcome of the trip would be, but wanting to do my part in raising awareness for Ryan. And I was incredibly encouraged to meet with my Congresswoman. She was down in Florida and gave me a lot of time and support. And also to see that President Trump sent his incoming national security advisor to me, just within 48 hours of being down in Florida, and he gave us over an hour of his time. I had to beg and work so hard to have a meeting with the current Nationalist Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, and it took 16 months to meet with him.
JOHN: So Trump’s national security advisor, Mike Waltz, came to talk with you in person within just a couple of days – but Biden’s advisor delayed 16 months. I can&#8217;t imagine the frustration there. Can you tell us about your husband&#8217;s situation? How long has he been there? What are the conditions? How&#8217;s he doing?
<div id="attachment_754833" style="width: 1034px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-754833" class="size-large wp-image-754833" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/06/MixCollage-24-Jun-2024-01-09-PM-1443-1024x576.jpg" alt="Ryan and Anna Corbett" width="1024" height="576" />Ryan and Anna Corbett</div>
ANNA: Ryan has been held now by the Taliban since August 10 of 2022, almost two and a half years now, very close to 900 days, which I hate saying, because we have felt every hour of those 900 days, and he has been held in bad conditions, recently was moved, and so his conditions improved a little bit. He is receiving better food, but he&#8217;s lost a lot of weight. This is having a bad effect on his health, obviously. He&#8217;s only 41, and having constant headaches, ringing in his ears, fainting, discolored extremities. I mean, he&#8217;s told me that I wouldn&#8217;t recognize him, and our communication was very sparse for a long time now. It&#8217;s been about every two weeks, which helps, but it&#8217;s my husband of almost 21 years and I don&#8217;t know where he is. I never know when I&#8217;ll hear from him. I&#8217;m super grateful, I have to say, the Qataris have really helped set up the phone calls and make sure they happen every two weeks and even recently worked on lengthening them. But, it&#8217;s a terrible situation, and I keep highlighting — like, he&#8217;s a dad. He wants to see his kids grow up. He missed his daughter&#8217;s high school graduation. She was voted prom queen. He missed that. He couldn&#8217;t walk her out for homecoming court. He can&#8217;t watch his son play basketball. He&#8217;s never watched his son play basketball. These are opportunities that every dad wants to have and needs to have with his kids. It&#8217;s just devastating what is going on here that he cannot be part of that.
JOHN: Again, I can&#8217;t imagine. For those not familiar with your story, what led to his capture? How did this all get started?
ANNA: We lived in Afghanistan as a family. I know that&#8217;s unusual, but we lived there for almost 12 years and he had started a business in Kabul and when we had to evacuate as a family, when the Taliban took over, he did not want to leave his staff behind. He didn&#8217;t want to abandon what was making a difference in the Afghan people&#8217;s lives. And so he kept his business open from a distance. We moved back here to New York. And he took one trip in January, 2022, no problems, renewed his visa smoothly, and was given a warm welcome. And then on the second trip in August, 2022, he was detained and has been held since. So he was trying to help the Afghan people. There have been no accusations, no charges against him. And he was designated as wrongfully detained by our government.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/held-prisoner-in-afghanistan-a-family-s-fight-for-freedom-1-18-25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LISTEN: Catch the full interview with Anna Corbett on Morning Wire</a></h3>
JOHN: All right. So the government officially states that he&#8217;s wrongfully detained, yet has not taken the action to get him back. What steps are you taking now? And what ways can people help in this situation? Is there anything our listeners can do?
ANNA: Your listeners can continue praying for Ryan and our family that we will continue hoping and staying strong each day. Also, we have a website, <a href="https://www.freeryancorbett.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FreeRyanCorbett.com</a> with a lot of information. And now that this current administration is almost finished, we&#8217;re needing to focus on the incoming administration and we will have information on the website on how to do that and how people can get the word out. It&#8217;s completely unjust and I believe every family out there can empathize with what we&#8217;re going through. When one family member is going through a horrible situation, we all feel it constantly. And until Ryan&#8217;s home, we cannot rest or even enjoy the opportunities we have in our freedom here in the States because Ryan&#8217;s still being held and has only access to sunlight a couple times a day and has no choices and is missing so much in his family&#8217;s life.
JOHN: If you could deliver a direct message to Donald Trump as he’s set to return to the White House this week, what would that be?
ANNA: I would say to him, please remember Ryan, and please do everything you can to bring Ryan home. And I would ask the incoming administration, including incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz that I&#8217;ve spoken with, and others involved in roles to bring Ryan home, to prioritize our family. Also, George [Glezmann] is held with Ryan. He&#8217;s in the same cell, same situation, wrongfully detained, and his family needs him as well. So, there are U.S. citizens who are alive —there&#8217;s proof of life. We just spoke to Ryan on Sunday, and they need to come home.
JOHN: Well, our prayers are with your husband, Ryan, and with <a href="https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/hostage/george-glezmann/#gsc.tab=0">George Glezmann</a> – and your talk with Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz is encouraging. Thank you so much for talking with us.
ANNA: Thanks for having me, I really appreciate it.
JOHN: That was Anna Corbett, wife of Ryan Corbett – and this has been a special <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/podcasts/morning-wire/held-prisoner-in-afghanistan-a-family-s-fight-for-freedom-1-18-25" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Saturday edition of Morning Wire</a>.
***

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT

Her Husband Is Being Held Prisoner By The Taliban. An Interview With Anna Corbett.

Mike Waltz

Morning Wire

The Taliban in Afghanistan, with a history of detrimental behavior toward women, has now decided all national and foreign nongovernmental groups in Afghanistan that employ women must be shut down.
“The announcement comes <a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-education-taliban-7583cf97e3d96e0d07cd7674c3b5a3c3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two years after they told NGOs to suspend</a> the employment of Afghan women, allegedly because they didn’t wear the Islamic headscarf correctly,” AP <a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-ngo-women-closure-1fde989369785f8df0e83c81d48626f1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.
The Afghanistan Ministry of Economy issued this statement on X (as translated by Google):
<blockquote>
The Ministry of Economy, as the authority for registering non-Emirati institutions, is responsible for coordinating, leading, and supervising all activities of domestic and foreign NGOs. Therefore, once again, a follow-up circular has been issued to stop the work of female employees in non-Emirati and foreign institutions. In case of non-cooperation, all activities of the offending institution will be suspended and the activity license they received from this ministry will be canceled.
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
وزارت اقتصاد منحیث مرجع ثبت و راجستر موسسات غیر امارتی، مسولیت انسجام، رهبری و نظارت تمامی فعالیت های انجو های داخلی و خارجی را به عهده دارد. بناً یکبار دیگر طی متحدالمال تعقیبی در مورد توقف کار طبقه اناث در موسسات غیر امارتی داخلی و خارجی هدایت داده شده است. در صورت عدم همکاری… <a href="https://t.co/kqiW7Re3an">pic.twitter.com/kqiW7Re3an</a>
&mdash; Ministry of Economy-Afghanistan (@economy_af) <a href="https://twitter.com/economy_af/status/1873377102231196155?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
On Saturday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement declaring that new buildings should not have windows that could be used to see &#8220;the courtyard, kitchen, neighbor&#8217;s well and other places usually used by women. &#8230; Seeing women working in kitchens, in courtyards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts.”
“Since the Taliban&#8217;s return to power in August 2021, women have been progressively <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20240831-afghanistan-women-erased-taliban-international-community-looks-on" target="_blank" rel="noopener">erased from public spaces</a>,” France 24 <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241229-taliban-leader-bans-windows-overlooking-women-s-areas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a>. “The Taliban administration claims that Islamic law ‘guarantees’ the rights of Afghan men and women.”
The despotic Iranian regime, which was not close to the Taliban in the past, joined forces with the group last summer; Iranian Interim Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi urged member states of the Islamic Cooperation Organization to exert pressure on Israel, Mehr News, affiliated with the terrorist Iranian Revolutionary Guard Council, <a href="https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/06/17/727616/Iran-Afghanistan-Ali-Bagheri-Kani-Amir-Khan-Muttaqi-Israel-crimes-Palestine-OIC-genocide-South-Africa-International-Court-of-Justice-cooperation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> in June.
“The Taliban had informed Tehran that it is prepared to deploy thousands of troops to fight against Israel, a senior reporter working with the Lebanese Hezbollah-run Al Akhbar Daily <a href="https://8am.media/fa/lebanese-journalists-claim-taliban-are-ready-to-send-fighters-to-fight-with-israel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> in an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b46QEV6R_a4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> on June 13. Iran has sought to facilitate a relationship between the Taliban and the Iranian regime’s proxies, including Hezbollah,” FDD <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/op_eds/2024/06/21/iran-and-taliban-discuss-joint-action-against-israel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported,</a> adding, “A week prior, Tehran <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/op_eds/2024/06/10/iskps-transnational-reemergence/#:~:text=Given%20ISKP%E2%80%99s%20growing,high%2Dlevel%20meetings." target="_blank" rel="noopener">hosted</a> various meetings between members of the Taliban and Hamas.”

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-LIFESTYLE

Taliban Will Shut Down Any NGOs Employing Women

Women

Thomas Kasza, a &#8220;Green Beret turned humanitarian,&#8221; told NewsNation on Tuesday that he warned filmmakers about showing the faces of America&#8217;s Afghan allies in a documentary on Green Berets before a man featured in the film was killed by the Taliban.
National Geographic, a Disney joint venture, removed its documentary, &#8220;Retrograde,&#8221; from its streaming platform over the summer after a 21-year-old Afghan contractor featured in the film was caught and murdered by the Taliban. The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2024/05/22/retrograde-documentary-film-taliban-heineman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> earlier this year that &#8220;Retrograde&#8221; director Matthew Heineman and producer Caitlin McNally decided to show close-ups of the Afghan man and others who helped U.S. forces clear mines. Kasza said that decision came after warnings from him and other former Green Berets and military members who said that showing the Afghan men in the film would put them in danger.
Kasza <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/danabramslive/retrograde-afghanistan-film/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told</a> NewsNation&#8217;s Dan Abrams that, according to an interpreter he&#8217;s in contact with, the Afghan man was shown &#8220;Retrograde&#8221; clips while the Taliban tortured him for up to 15 days. Kasza said, &#8220;It boggles the mind really why National Geographic, Disney &#8230; would actually kind of go to these lengths to not only just expose them, but then kind of abandon them after the fact, after this guy was killed.&#8221;
The former Green Beret added that he knows the filmmakers received warnings about releasing the documentary with the Afghans&#8217; faces unobscured because he was one of the five people mentioned in the Washington Post article who discussed the issues with them.
Kasza, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said he and other military members initially saw the film as &#8220;a tremendous opportunity,&#8221; but after viewing the premiere of the documentary, he was concerned for the safety of U.S. allies in Afghanistan.
&#8220;Because we saw the behind-the-scenes and we knew the reality of the situation, we were able to convey the gravity of the situation,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Unfortunately, they didn&#8217;t heed our warnings.&#8221;
Kasza added, &#8220;Our objectives are not to pick a fight with Disney or pick a fight with National Geographic. Our entire purpose here is to provide aid for these guys. And the fact that Disney, which was market-capped for $210 billion as of today, doesn&#8217;t want to contribute any assistance in any kind of matter is kind of preposterous.&#8221;
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Following the Washington Post&#8217;s story on the controversy, multiple awards the film won were revoked. Kasza <a href="https://x.com/TKasza1208/status/1855899229274947929" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> on X earlier this month that he hopes the developments will &#8220;spur @Disney, @NatGeo or @MattHeineman to finally render assistance to the widow and the remaining eight affected families.&#8221;

‘Retrograde’, a Film By Matthew Heineman – Special Screening

Green Beret Says Filmmakers ‘Didn’t Heed’ Warnings That Led To Taliban Killing Afghan Ally

Green Beret Says Filmmakers 'Didn't Heed' Warnings That Led To Taliban Killing Afghan Ally

Disney

Documentaries

Movies

Last month, the Taliban put into effect new laws stripping the women of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/afghanistan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Afghanistan</a> of the last of their basic human rights. While here in America, feminists like to define their basic human rights as access to abortion, Afghan women are no longer allowed to speak in public, show any skin or leave their home without a male chaperone.
As of late August, the Taliban received approval from supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to put into place its “<a href="https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-taliban-vice-virtue-laws-women-b6db61e124116c712c867d2e1a4532ba" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vice and Virtue decree</a>,” which prohibits Islamic people from many religious and daily practices. Females were, unsurprisingly, hit the hardest by these new laws. Afghan women have been deemed as temptations, and therefore cannot show any skin or use their voices in public for any reason. They also may not make eye contact with men to whom they are not married, or blood related, out of fear of punishment and torture.
These new practices and ones already in place, including the end of education for women at 12 years of age and the inability to see male doctors, have not only left women with no rights, but truly no chance at a healthy and contented life. If these women are not allowed to be educated enough to be health care providers, and also can’t see male doctors, what will happen to them if and when they need health care? They will clearly become sick and suffer — which is, ultimately, the Taliban’s goal.
Women have been banned from most public spaces including parks, gyms and many stores. This has left women-led households particularly vulnerable. Since women are no longer let out of the home without a male, they are unable to walk, exercise or even shop for basic necessities like food.
Why is no one talking about this? Coming up on a month after the new bans took effect, the Biden Administration has barely mentioned this situation, let alone done anything to combat it. Where are the thousands of women who marched and protested after the overturn of Roe v. Wade and chanted “my body my choice?” Why don’t these people seem to care about the Afghan women having no rights over their bodies — including what they can wear, who they can speak to, or if they can speak at all? Or what about the girls as young as 5-years-old being sold into marriages under the Taliban — what about their choice?
The answer ultimately comes down to the sad fact that it was the Biden-Harris Administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/terror-threats-from-afghanistan-have-flourished-under-biden-harris-admin-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who helped fuel</a> the Taliban to be able to perpetrate these acts in the first place. It is American taxpayer dollars that have been sent to make all of this happen. In August, the Taliban received <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-aid-vetting-failures-may-have-benefited-militants-afghanistan-watchdog-finds-2024-07-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly $240 million</a> in U.S. aid. The funds, ironically, even came from a State Department division called “Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.” How does funding a brutal group that uses physical abuse as punishment for speaking in public qualify as maintaining human rights?
In Afghanistan, women&#8217;s lives are truly not their own. This is not just a matter of abortion or contraception as we hear in America. Women are being sentenced to death for “moral crimes” such as adultery or refusal of arranged marriages. Women who commit these crimes are being put to death, even by stoning. Afghan women are also eligible for forced “virginity testing” which are often inaccurate tests performed on young women to determine if they have abstained from sexual relations. If girls “fail” these tests, they can face torture, ridicule or death, even in cases of rape. If a woman has been raped and is married, she is an adulterer, which once again circles back to the “moral crimes” punishments.
<h4><a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Am I Racist? Is In Theaters NOW — Get Your Tickets Here!</a></h4>
It’s important to note that Afghanistan wasn’t always like this. Prior to the Afghan–Soviet War in 1979, women actually experienced a fair number of freedoms. They were able to work, express themselves through choice of clothing. But after the war, and the initial takeover by the Taliban in 1996, these women and girls slowly started to lose themselves to the evil that had taken over their home.
American feminists might want to open their eyes to see beyond their tired and misguided rhetoric. Take a look at what actual denial of a woman’s control over her body looks like.
These women will continue to suffer under the Taliban as long as Biden and Harris remain in office. It is their policy blunders that have assisted in the progression of these inhumane acts. In the meantime, Islamic women have taken to social media and to singing in the streets to protest the laws leaving them deprived of actual human rights.
The next time American feminists try to tell you about your “oppression” as a female in America, remember you are still allowed to speak in public, receive an education, carry out a career, and have access to world-class health care — all unattainable dreams for Afghan women who don’t have the blessing and privilege to be a woman in America today.
* * *
Tessa Gervasini is a recent graduate of Texas Christian University.
The view expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Daily Wire.

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