WNY family calls on lawmakers to help bring Ryan Corbett home after 19 months in Taliban captivity
DANSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) – It’s been 19 months since Anna Corbett has seen her husband and the father of her three children, Ryan. She’s had to be strong for her family but is frustrated it’s taking this long to bring him home.
“He’s a really brave person. Really strong, but even the strongest person under these circumstances are affected physically and emotionally,” she told News 4 in a sit-down interview Tuesday.
During a business trip in August 2022, Dansville resident Ryan Corbett was captured by the Taliban and remains a hostage in Afghanistan.
“The conditions he was held in and still being held in are really difficult. He’s in a basement cell, very little sunlight. Poor nutrition. No communication with his family,” Anna said.
Since Ryan’s capture, Anna has talked to him on the phone only a handful of times.
“The calls are very short. I think we’ve had a total of 32 minutes on the phone in 19 months, which is ridiculous,” she said.
The last time they talked on the phone was a few weeks ago. Anna told him about her upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. where she would attend President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address. Anna was a guest of New York State representative Claudia Tenney.
Anna says she’s happy progress was made during her trip on Capitol Hill last week, but more work needs to be done.
“I don’t understand why the is government is sitting on this. He could die any time and this is really scary,” she said.
“I keep telling them in D.C., I’m going to keep coming back, you’re going to keep seeing me. I’m not gonna quit until Ryan’s home,” Anna said. “If he were in a coma in a hospital, I would be there, I’d be fighting for him. He can’t fight for himself and I have to do everything I can to keep this a priority and help them to remember that Ryan needs to be brought home.”
The couple has been married for 20 years and have three teenage children. Anna says not knowing when they’ll see Ryan again has been very difficult.
“Their childhood is passing quickly and I Just want him to see them and be part of their lives right now,” Anna said. “I don’t understand because Ryan is the type of person we need to bring back home. He is an amazing dad. He’s an amazing husband and he does not deserve to sit in a basement cell for this long.”
Anna says the community in Dansville has gone above and beyond to offer her and her family support during this time and she’s hopeful Ryan will come home soon.
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Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work.
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