U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the United States does not recognize the de facto ruling Taliban as the legitimate government of the country. This means that the U.S. has no in-country diplomatic presence (e.g., no ambassador, no consular services) and relies upon Qatar which serves as the United States’ “protecting power ” in Afghanistan. This complicated history serves as the backdrop to the cases of four Americans the Foley Foundation assesses to be held hostage or wrongfully detained in Afghanistan.
Who Are the Four Men Held Captive?
Paul Overby, an author, disappeared in Afghanistan in May 2014, while researching a new book. Ryan Corbett, a humanitarian and businessman, was kidnapped on August 10, 2022. On that same day, the Taliban security service arrested Afghan-American businessman Mahmood Shah Habibi. Four months later, on December 5, 2022, Taliban forces detained George Glezmann, an airline mechanic and American tourist.
Current Status
The Taliban acknowledges that it is holding Corbett and Glezmann in detention and both men are designated as “wrongfully detained” by the U.S. Department of State. This designation means that the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA) is responsible for managing their cases and securing their release.
However, when making decisions about designations in 2023, Habibi was not designated because there had been no claim by the Taliban that they are holding him. This is not a requirement for a wrongful detention designation and there is ample evidence that he was arrested by the GDI, the Taliban’s state security agency. The family has been fighting to have this corrected so that all three are treated as wrongful detainees. The net result is that Habibi’s case is being led by the FBI and the interagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell (HRFC; the “Cell”) though all diplomatic engagement to help resolve the case is being handled by SPEHA.
Because no group has taken responsibility for Overby’s kidnapping, he is deemed to be a hostage (i.e., held by non-state actors). The State Department is offering up to $5 million dollars through its Rewards for Justice program for information that leads to Overby’s recovery.
The Cell has the lead for hostage cases (by terrorists or criminal gangs), while SPEHA has the lead for wrongful detentions by nation states. The two organizations are separate government organizations but often collaborate. Each group has its own authorities, capabilities, processes, and culture. Where there are diplomatic interactions for any of these cases, SPEHA takes the lead on that aspect.
This differences in the designations of each case guide how the U.S. government discusses them and the strategies it may employ to secure a release. It is critical for the U.S. government to prioritize the return of all four men and raise all four cases in its engagements with Taliban leadership, either directly or through a third-party intermediary such as Qatar.
Foley Foundation’s Appeal
As we enter the final days of the Biden administration, we urge the President and his team to take all action necessary to bring Overby, Corbett, Habibi, and Glezmann home. Despite the difficulties of working with the Taliban, the U.S. government demonstrated an ability to secure the release of defense contractor Mark Frerichs, who was released through a prisoner exchange in 2022.
Since the Taliban have admitted they are holding Corbett and Glezmann, the administration should employ all diplomatic means to secure their release.
Habibi was arrested by the Taliban on suspicion that he might have been involved in the U.S. strike that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. There is definitive information that he was arrested by the GDI and held at their headquarters. The U.S. should work to compel the Taliban to admit they have been holding Habibi and work to bring him home to his family.
Now that members of the Haqqani Network, a designated foreign terrorist organization, holds senior positions in the Taliban government, the U.S. should also engage with them to obtain a full accounting of what happened to Overby. The government owes these families answers on the progress of their cases, and clarity regarding the actions underway to secure their release.
The Foley Foundation has profiled each case on its website and seeks to sustain attention on each case through our public advocacy and in our regular engagements with administration officials and elected officials in conjunction with the strategy of each family’s advisors.
Last year, the Biden administration obtained group releases of Americans held captive in Iran and Venezuela and, this year, Russia and China. We remain hopeful that a similar outcome can be achieved for Americans held in Afghanistan prior to the end of the current administration.
Typically, when there is a change of administration, as will happen on January 20, 2025, progress on current cases can lag until officials of the incoming administration can pick up the thread and continue the work to reunite Americans unjustly held captive abroad with their families. Even though the civil service employees who work for the U.S. government do not change, the switch in senior political appointees can create anxiety for families as they scramble to ensure their loved one’s case is known to the new officials.
