LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- President Joe Biden delivered "devastating" news to the family of Ryan Corbett, a man wrongfully detained by the Taliban, during a recent phone call.
Corbett’s wife, Anna, shared her heartbreak on national television, saying Biden informed her that no agreement had been reached to secure her husband’s release.
It's been two-and-a-half years, nearly 900 days, since Ryan Corbett was captured.
“It’s in the category of torture,” Drue Corbett said, describing Ryan's condition.
Despite traveling to Washington, D.C. 16 times to advocate for her husband’s freedom, Anna Corbett said this call from the president left her devastated.
“What I heard him say is that he is not bringing Ryan home,” Anna Corbett said in an emotional interview on Fox News. “That was absolutely devastating because I have been advocating fiercely on Ryan's behalf, on my family's behalf. Ryan just keeps missing out on milestones.”
Reports surfaced last week that suggested a potential deal involving a prisoner swap: three American hostages, including Ryan Corbett, for a detainee held at Guantanamo Bay. However, Biden confirmed that no agreement with the Taliban has been finalized.
Undeterred, Anna Corbett packed her bags in New York and traveled to Mar-a-Lago to seek help from President-elect Donald Trump. She met with his national security advisor, hoping a change in leadership could bring renewed urgency to her husband’s case.
"He wants to come home and be with his family," she said. "He's an amazing dad, and he said, 'I feel bad for all that you're having to do for me,' and of course I will do everything I can. I'm a mom, this is what moms do, and I want my children to have their dad back to be part of their lives."
Ryan Corbett’s father, who resides in Louisville, expressed cautious optimism.
“I feel good about it,” Drue Corbett said. “I think President Trump is kind of a deal maker. I have no idea how he’ll do with this. It’s complicated, but I know he will. He’s not sitting down doing nothing.”
Ryan Corbett, an entrepreneur, was working in Afghanistan to help locals start businesses when Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021. He fled with his family but returned the following year, where he was arrested and wrongfully detained.
The family’s time apart has come with countless missed moments. Drue Corbett spoke of his grandchildren enduring three Christmases without their father. The oldest daughter became prom queen, learned to drive, got her first job, and began college as a nursing student—all without her dad by her side.
“They just need their dad,” he said.
With renewed efforts underway, the Corbett family holds onto hope that this Christmas may finally bring the reunion they have fought so hard for.
Previous Coverage:
- US House passes resolution calling for release of Ryan Corbett from Taliban prison
- 'I'm exhausted' | Wife of man being held hostage by Taliban says she's losing faith in US government
- Wife of American hostage pleads before lawmakers on Capitol Hill for husband's safe return
- Louisville couple hopes to see their son soon after US lawmakers call for his release from Taliban
- US Senate leaders call for Taliban to release man with ties to Louisville after 20 months of being held hostage
- After 20 months of being held hostage by the Taliban, family of man with ties to Louisville says he's 'losing hope'
- House committee passes resolution aiming to bring home Louisville man kidnapped by the Taliban
- 'He is suffering greatly' | Louisville couple speaks out as Taliban holds son hostage for nearly 18 months
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