LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- For more than 500 days, a man with family in Louisville has been held hostage by the Taliban.

Since August 2022, Ryan Corbett has been wrongfully detained by the Taliban.

"We are at an urgent, critical time," Ryan's father, Drue Corbett, said.

Drue Corbett, who lives in Louisville, said Ryan has been with two other Americans in a 9x9 cell in a dark basement with no windows.

"People say, 'Well, are they torturing him?' Huh, you tell me. You tell me," Drue Corbett said.

Ryan moved to Afghanistan with his family in 2010 to help Afghans become entrepreneurs. He fled with thousands of others in 2021, but was allowed back the following year.

That's when he was kidnapped.

"Actually what the Taliban needs is people like Ryan that love the country and love the people and that would be willing to go to your government and help you establish a government for the people," Drue Corbett said.

He said Ryan isn't getting proper nutrition, having seizures and is starting to faint. He's only allowed outside once a month for 15 minutes to see sunlight.

Ryan's family has only gotten to speak to him a handful of times.

Ryan Corbett held hostage by Taliban (2).jpeg

Since August of 2022, Ryan Corbett has been wrongfully detained by the Taliban. Congressman Morgan McGarvey is sponsoring a bill that would bring him home. (WDRB photo)

"I fear that he is losing his life. (You can) say, 'Well, let's not offend the Taliban. Let's be careful what we say about them. They're gonna kill him.' They're killin' him, slowly, over a year and a half, and it has to end," Drue Corbett said.

Wednesday, Drue Corbett was joined by Congressman Morgan McGarvey, who's sponsoring a bill to bring Ryan home. McGarvey said he is doing everything he can.

"This is a learning process for all of us," McGarvey said. "What does it take to get Americans home? And, while I don't know every step of that process, I am in no doubt as to the commitment. The commitment is there 100%."

Both agree this isn't political. McGarvey said both sides of the aisle will do what it takes to bring an American home.

"This is one that should not be hard for Congress," McGarvey said. "There's a lot of difficult issues in Washington right now. This isn't one of them. This is a simple issue of bringing Ryan Corbett home."

The bill could make it to the House floor as soon as this month.

Related Stories:

Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.