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Fed-up family of American held in Afghanistan want to negotiate with the Taliban after waiting years for Biden admin to free him
The fed-up family of an American held hostage by the Taliban are taking matters into their own hands as they accuse the Biden administration of leaving their loved one to 'languish in a cell' in Afghanistan.
George Glezmann, a Delta Air Lines mechanic, was seized by the Taliban in December 2022 while touring Afghanistan.
The Glezmann family now want to negotiate directly with the Taliban after waiting years for the Biden administration to free him.
George Taylor, a Glezmann family representative, wrote an email last week to senior US officials, informing the White House of their intention to negotiate directly with the Taliban.
'We are in the process of finalizing a meeting in Doha with the [Taliban] to try to recover George,' he wrote, as reported exclusively by the Wall Street Journal.
The fed-up family of an American held hostage by the Taliban , is taking matters into their own hands as they accuse the Biden administration of leaving their loved one to 'languish in a cell' in Afghanistan (Pictured: George Glezmann)
George Glezmann, a Delta Air Lines mechanic, was seized by the Taliban in December 2022 while touring Afghanistan
He pleaded with the government 'to exhibit the necessary courage and leadership that it takes to facilitate the release of George.
Despite being designated as 'wrongfully detained' by the State Department, his family claims they've been left in the dark about efforts to bring him home.
The family's desperate move comes as Glezmann's health reportedly deteriorates.
His wife, Aleksandra, described his ailments including a tumor, vision loss, and breathing difficulties.
The Glezmanns' plight highlights a growing sentiment among families of hostages that there's a 'tiered system' in place, with celebrity captives receiving the majority of attention.
The Glezmann family now want to negotiate directly with the Taliban after waiting years for the Biden administration to free him
Despite being designated as 'wrongfully detained' by the State Department, his family claims they've been left in the dark about efforts to bring him home
The family's desperate move comes as Glezmann's health reportedly deteriorates. His wife, Aleksandra, described his ailments including a tumor, vision loss, and breathing difficulties
'We are not wealthy or famous people,' she wrote in a letter to President Biden. 'I beseech you to intervene personally in George's matter and do everything in your power to bring him home.'
As the 2024 election approaches, the Glezmann case has become more urgent for his family.
Aleksandra pleaded to the Biden administration, 'Now is the time to bring George Glezmann home.'
National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said: 'The Biden-Harris Administration is actively working to secure the release of George and all Americans wrongfully detained and held hostage around the world.'
There are about 175 Americans still held in Afghanistan with many held captive by the Taliban, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last year.
The Glezmanns' plight highlights a growing sentiment among families of hostages that there's a 'tiered system' in place, with celebrity captives receiving the majority of attention
As the 2024 election approaches, the Glezmann case has become more urgent for his family
There are about 175 Americans still held in Afghanistan with many held captive by the Taliban, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last year
Ryan Corbett, 40, was captured and arrested by the Taliban in 2022 while visiting Afghanistan, where he had lived with his family as an aid worker for nearly a decade.
Corbett was held in the same cell as Glezmann.
In September of 2023, the State Department secretly designated Corbett a wrongful detainee, giving presidential hostage envoy Roger Carstens sweeping powers to push for his release, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first revealed Corbett's detention status.
Those negotiations appear to have stalled, however, because the Taliban is unrealistically seeking to trade Corbett for the release of Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, a former aide to Osama bin Laden, the Journal reported.
Corbett and his wife lived in Afghanistan for more than a decade, after moving there in 2010 with their two daughters for Corbett's work with a Christian-affiliated nongovernmental organization.
Ryan Corbett, 40, (above with wife Anna) was captured last year while visiting Afghanistan, but his plight was not publicly disclosed until Tuesday
The Taliban is unrealistically seeking to trade Corbett for the release of Muhammad Rahim al Afghani (above), a former aide to Osama bin Laden who is extrajudicially detained in Gitmo
Corbett and his wife lived in Afghanistan for more than a decade, after moving there in 2010 with their two daughters. Their son was later born in Afghanistan
Corbett learned Pashto, the main language of Afghanistan, and handled administrative duties for the NGO while teaching English. The couple's third child, a son, was born during their time in the country.
The family fled and returned to their home in western New York when the Taliban swept back into power in 2021, but nearly a year later, Corbett visited Afghanistan to explore the feasibility of a permanent return.
In the summer of 2022, he was visiting Sheberghan, a remote city 300 miles northwest of Kabul, with a German colleague when Taliban security forces detained both men.
The Taliban accused them of proselytizing Christianity, a claim denied by Corbett's family and the colleague, who has since been released.
Locked in a local jail as the Taliban tortured inmates in neighboring cells, Corbett frantically texted his family as the reality of his predicament set in, according to the Journal.