Western New Yorker freed after being held hostage by Taliban for 2 years
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DANSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) -- After more than two years of being detained by the Taliban, Western New Yorker Ryan Corbett is finally coming home after being freed. Corbett will soon be reunited with his wife and their three children.
During a business trip in August 2022, Dansville resident Ryan Corbett was captured by the Taliban and was held as a hostage in Afghanistan for nearly 900 days.
Ryan's wife, Anna, fought every day for his release. She made multiple trips to Capital Hill to meet with government leaders, calling on them to bring Ryan home.
Last March, WIVB News 4's Sarah Minkewicz caught up with Anna at their family home in Dansville. At the time, she said Ryan was in a basement cell with little sunlight. She said he also had poor nutrition and little communication with his family.
"He's a really brave person, really strong, but even the strongest people in these types of circumstances are affected physically and emotionally by these really hard circumstances that he's in," Anna said in March.
Anna was frustrated, but remained strong for her family and never gave up hope. This week, the Corbett family found out Ryan is one of two U.S. citizens being released as part of a prisoner swap.
In a statement, Ryan's family thanked President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden, members of Congress, Senators, friends, neighbors and others for their efforts in bringing Ryan home.
"Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Ryan’s life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 894 days of our lives," they said.
"While we begin the healing process with Ryan by our side, we remain mindful of the many families who are still waiting for their loved ones to return, including the families of George Glezmann and Mahmoud Habibi. ... We recognize the immense privilege of our family’s reunion today, and pledge to keep praying – and fighting – for George and Mahmoud’s swift release."
On the Senate floor Tuesday, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer celebrated Ryan being freed.
"When I heard Ryan's story from his family and listened to them as they pushed and pushed for his defense, I saw that even in the darkest moments, even when hope seemed lost, the Corbett family never, never gave up," Schumer said. "And they never got angry. They never pointed fingers and called names. They just kept persisting and persisting and persisting. And their beautiful, hard, unrelenting, patient persistence has paid off."
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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.