Woman seeks help from Trump to bring home her husband detained by the Taliban

Woman seeks help from Trump to bring home her husband detained by the Taliban

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DANSVILLE, N.Y. — Ryan Corbett, a Dansville resident, has been detained by the Taliban since 2022. He traveled to Afghanistan on a work visa to train and pay employees at a business he started before the American withdrawal.

News10NBC Investigative Reporter Jennifer Lewke spoke with Anna Corbett, Ryan’s wife, who recently flew to Florida in hopes of speaking directly with President-Elect Donald Trump.

Anna has tirelessly advocated for her husband’s return, making 22 trips to Washington to meet with lawmakers. Last weekend, she decided to camp out at Mar-a-Lago to capture the attention of the President-Elect.

On Sunday, Anna and her children received a call from President Biden.

“Although he was very kind and empathetic to the children and I of our situation, it became clear that he did not seem to want to take the deal that is on the table,” Anna said. “I know he said, up until the very end, until the date of the inauguration on January 20, ‘I will keep working on this and I really do want Ryan home,’ but it was a discouraging call.”

The same day, President-Elect Trump sent his incoming National Security Advisor, Mike Waltz, to meet Anna in Florida.

“He actually came to where we were and met with us for over an hour and it was an amazing conversation, very encouraging,” Anna shared. “First, to hear that President Trump had sent him and obviously was tracking what was going on and second to have a chance so quickly to brief him on what has happened for almost 2.5 years, talk with him about Ryan, living in Afghanistan and asking for his help to bring Ryan home.”

Anna also expressed concern about Ryan’s well-being.

“He has been there so long and is exhausted, physically declining, weakening and it’s very difficult for him to keep hope so, I reminded him many people are praying, we’re praying for him and just can’t wait to get him home,” she said.

The deal Anna mentioned would have involved exchanging a man held at Guantanamo Bay, reportedly linked to Usama Bin Laden, for Ryan’s return. Whether the Trump administration can negotiate an alternate deal remains uncertain.

In the meantime, Anna continues to live in Dansville, striving to provide a normal life for their three children while they await their father’s return.

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