WASHINGTON – The Foley Foundation this morning celebrates the news that Ryan Corbett, a humanitarian and businessman who was wrongfully detained by the Taliban on August 10, 2022, is on his way home. Corbett was released as part of a prisoner exchange that also freed American William Wallace McKenty.
Despite the success in bringing Corbett and McKenty home, there are more Americans held captive in Afghanistan. Mahmood Habibi, a businessman, was kidnapped by the Taliban on the same day as Corbett. Four months after Corbett and Habibi were taken, George Glezmann was also detained by Taliban forces. In May 2014, author Paul Overby disappeared while traveling in Afghanistan.
Speaking about today’s releases, Foley Foundation President and Founder Diane Foley said, “I am overjoyed at the release of Ryan Corbett and deeply grateful for the moral courage of those who made Ryan’s release possible. We are also heartbroken for George Glezmann and Mahmood Habibi, and all captives left behind.” Today’s releases reflect the joint commitment of both the Biden and Trump administrations to bring Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained home. However, there is still more work to be done. The Foley Foundation calls on the Trump administration to exercise moral courage and act immediately to secure the freedom of Habibi and Glezmann and resolve the disappearance of Overby.
ABOUT THE JAMES W. FOLEY LEGACY FOUNDATION
Conflict journalist James W. Foley was taken hostage by ISIS terrorists in 2012 while covering the Syrian civil war. His captors tortured and ultimately brutally murdered him in 2014. The Foley Foundation was established within weeks of his death. The mission of the foundation – inspired by the moral courage of James Foley – is to advocate for American hostages and wrongful detainees held abroad and promote journalist safety.
For more information or to learn how you can make an impact, please visit jamesfoleyfoundation.org or contact us here. Charitable donations to support the foundation’s work may be made here.
