President Biden speaks with family of Dansville man being held by Taliban
Photo of Ryan Corbett and his wife, Anna (provided photo)
DANSVILLE, N.Y. — President Joe Biden has spoken with the family of Ryan Corbett, the Dansville father of three who the Taliban has held captive in Afghanistan for two and a half years.
The National Security Council and the U.S. State Department have been working toward a solution to bring Corbett home since August of 2022. An attorney representing Corbett’s family confirmed that Biden spoke by phone with Cobertt’s wife, Anna, ahead of his final days in office.
The attorney, Ryan Fayhee, says a deal is on the table. In a statement, Fayhee urged Biden to accept the deal:
“A deal is now on the table and the decision to accept it—as imperfect as it may be—resides exclusively with the President. Hard decisions make great Presidents, and we hope and believe that President Biden will not let perfection be the enemy of good when American lives are at stake.”
The Taliban has held Corbett captive ever since he returned to Afghanistan to pay and train staff members for his business venture in consulting services and lending. News10NBC has spoken with Anna Corbett, who said back in March that she’s gotten to speak to her husband just four times, for less than 10 minutes each time, since he’s been detained.
In April, lawyers representing Corbett’s family called for the United Nations authority on torture to investigate the cruel treatment his family says Corbett has experienced. Last year, the House and the Senate both passed resolutions calling for the Taliban to immediately release Corbett.