American held hostage by Taliban makes disturbing call to wife: He's 'losing hope'
Anna Corbett, wife of a man held hostage by the Taliban, tells 'Fox & Friends First' about her recent phone call with her husband and her efforts to get him brought home safely.
Anna Corbett is "very concerned" for her husband Ryan as he nears his 600th day in Taliban captivity, her fear exacerbated by a disturbing call that signaled his physical and mental health are rapidly declining.
"We spoke with him for 12 minutes, and it was very clear to me that he is giving up hope, and that was devastating to me," she said Wednesday in a "Fox & Friends First" exclusive.
"He also was really sick last week with a high fever and no one knew. No one had seen him, and he has not been visited since December," she continued.
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Ryan Corbett, who is currently in Taliban captivity, is pictured here with his wife Anna and their three children. (Fox & Friends First/Screengrab)
"He was alone, in his sickness, and it was difficult because I could not share with him that, on this side of things, I see a lot of hope [that] things are moving forward, and that was really just disappointing for me to not be able to instill a lot of hope in him."
Ryan's situation is dismal. Previous prisoners who were housed in his cell say the former business adviser must survive on "scraps of fatty meat," request bathroom access and live in darkness most of the time, according to an NBC News report from December.
In the U.S., Anna has visited Washington, D.C. nine times to plead her husband's case. She said, when she is not meeting officials face-to-face, however, the talks stall.
Anna Corbett spoke to 'Fox & Friends First' on Wednesday where she recounted the contents of her recent conversation with her husband who is being held captive in Afghanistan. (Fox & Friends First/Screengrab)
"That's what I expressed to Ryan, is that I don't see things moving forward. 'I am so sorry. I'm working really hard,'" she said.
"I keep going back to the Capitol and doing my best, but unfortunately, things are stuck again, and I am concerned about that for Ryan and really concerned about that for our family."
Corbett said she believes President Biden could "absolutely" do more to help, noting she has still not met with him despite her eagerness to do so.
"I see that the Gaza hostage families have already met with him several times. I keep asking for meetings, and how can I believe that this is prioritized when he won't even speak to me about this?" she asked.
Corbett said she has pushed to meet with President Biden to discuss her husband Ryan's dire situation in Afghanistan. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)
"I am very concerned about the priority of this, and we keep giving more to the Taliban. In the meantime, Ryan's physical health and mental health is declining rapidly in a basement."
Her message to Biden is an emotional one. She shared that message with "Fox & Friends First" co-host Todd Piro, bringing the entire family's wishes to bring him home into the conversation.
"Please bring Ryan home," she pleaded.
Newly recruited personnel joining Taliban security forces demonstrate their skills during their graduation ceremony in Herat on Feb. 9, 2023. (Mohsen Karimi/AFP via Getty Images)
"He's an important U.S. citizen who was just trying to help people, and he needs to be brought home. My children need him back. My daughter is graduating [from] high school [at] the end of June, and we want Ryan home in full health, and we're very concerned at this point. We're almost at 600 days, and he's declining rapidly and losing hope."
Together, Anna and Ryan have three children – two daughters and one son. Corbett and his family lived in Afghanistan from 2010 until Aug. 2021 when the Taliban returned to power. He had returned on a 12-month visa in 2022 to hire staff for his organization, Bloom Afghanistan, and work with NGOs.
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In December, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stressed that Corbett's release was "the highest priority" and that Special Representative for Afghanistan Tom West had met with Taliban officials on the issue.
"We have no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas. Not just in this meeting, but in previous meetings, we have continually pressed for the release of Americans detained in Afghanistan," he told reporters.
