Pastor David Theobald credited God's timing for Ryan Corbett's release after he had been held captive by the Taliban and joined in celebrating their long-awaited reunion.
Corbett, abducted in August 2022 while on a business trip and held by the Taliban for 894 days, reunited with his family in San Antonio, Texas, before planning to return to his hometown of Dansville in Livingston County, as reported by Spectrum News.
Corbett spent his first hours back on U.S. soil with close family members after arriving early Wednesday morning. Following his release, his family issued a statement expressing gratitude and requesting privacy during his recovery from the prolonged detention.
Theobald, who leads Grace Baptist Church in the community where Corbett's father once served, described a lengthy period when only a few individuals knew of Corbett's initial capture.
“We had been walking with them through it for a year before they did that,” he remarked, referring to the day Corbett's story became public. He explained how church members kept the family's struggles private until authorities made the case widely known.
The pastor first met Corbett's family 15 years ago when he took over pastoral duties from Corbett's father. He noted that the church played a vital role in providing emotional support: “For months, the family fought in silence, only finding peace in the Grace Baptist Church community,” he said in an interview with Spectrum News.
Theobald credited Corbett's family for their active involvement in worship activities, mentioning that Corbett's children sing, play instruments, and assist in the sound booth. Corbett's wife, Anna, teaches violin and has performed at church events.
Corbett's release was part of a swap that involved an Afghan national, convicted of drug smuggling and extremism in the U.S., being sent back to Afghanistan, according to Reuters. A Taliban spokesman indicated that two Americans were released, with the other being William McKenty, as reported by Newswire.
Corbett and McKenty were transferred through Qatar before returning home last week, as reported by CBS News. Afghan Foreign Ministry officials stated that they were exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who received two life sentences in a 2008 U.S. trial, according to the Associated Press.
Mohammed, 55, had been detained on the battlefield in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province and later flown to California, where he was found guilty of securing heroin and opium intended for the U.S. and aiding terrorist activities.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio took to social media platform X to highlight concerns that the Taliban may be holding more American hostages than publicly known, stating, “If this is true, we will have to immediately place a VERY BIG bounty on their top leaders.”
