Foreign hostages in Afghanistan
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Kidnapping and
hostage taking A hostage is a person seized by an abductor in order to compel another party, one which places a high value on the liberty, well-being and safety of the person seized, such as a relative, employer, law enforcement or government to act, or ref ...
has become a common occurrence in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Kidnappers include
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
and Al-Qaeda fighters and common criminal elements. The following is a list of known foreign hostages in Afghanistan.


Australia


Released (3)

:*Diana Thomas and Peter Bunch, arrested by the Taliban in August 2001 in connection with her work for Christian aid organization Shelter Now, held in captivity until November 15, 2001. :*Timothy John Weeks, a professor, was kidnapped along with American professor Kevin King by the
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
on August 7, 2016, while traveling in Kabul. Their driver and bodyguard were not taken. Weeks was released by the Taliban along with King in November 2019 as part of a prisoner swap.


Bangladesh


Released (8)

:*Noor Islam, an aid worker for the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, was kidnapped on September 15, 2007, in Lowgar Province. On December 8, 2007, he was freed by the abductors. :*Seven employees of the Samwhan Corporation were kidnapped by the Taliban near Mazar-i-Sharif on December 17, 2010. Two were released on Dec. 19. The other five, Imam Uddin, Mahbub Ali, Aminul Islam, "Lablu" and Mojibur Rahman, were released on August 2, 2011


Burma


Released (1)

:*A Red Cross worker was kidnapped by the Taliban along with two Afghans and a Macedonian citizen in Wardak Province on September 26, 2007, while working to secure the release of the German hostage Rudolf Blechschmidt. They were freed on September 29, 2007.


Canada


Released (2)

:*
Mellissa Fung Mellissa Fung is a Canadian journalist with CBC News, appearing regularly as a field correspondent on '' The National''. Education and career Fung and her younger sister are the daughters of Kellog and Joyce Fung. She was born in Hong Kong, and ...
, a CBC journalist, was kidnapped by armed men from a refugee camp outside of Kabul on October 12, 2008. Her translator and driver were not taken. Fung was released on November 8, 2008. :* Colin Mackenzie Rutherford, a
tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
, was kidnapped by the Taliban in late October 2010. He appeared in a hostage video in May 2011. The Government of Canada announced his release on January 11, 2016.


Rescued (1)

:* Joshua Ainslie Boyle was kidnapped along with his American wife Caitlan Connemara Coleman by the Taliban in October 2012 in Wardak province. Coleman was seven months pregnant at the time and gave birth three times in captivity. The couple appeared in two hostage videos sent to their families in 2013, and reappeared in new video footage in 2016, although it was not known when the video was taken. Boyle, Coleman, and their three children were rescued by Pakistan forces on October 11, 2017. Boyle was previously married to
Zaynab Khadr The Khadr family ( ar, أسرة خضر) is an Egyptian-Canadian family noted for their ties to Osama bin Laden and connections to al-Qaeda.
, of the notable Egyptian-Canadian family.


China


Released (3)

:*Eng. Sink, a worker for a Chinese road building firm was kidnapped along with his Afghan driver, Lala Gan, by unknown militants on June 29, 2008, while driving towards his company's camp in
Wardak Province Maidan Wardak (Pashto: ; Dari: ), also called Wardag or Wardak, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central region of Afghanistan. It is divided into eight districts and has a population of approximately 500,00 The capita ...
. Gan was freed two days later. Sink was freed on July 27, 2008. :*Zhang Fengqiang, an engineer, and Wu Yulin, a worker, were kidnapped along with their two Afghan drivers and two Afghan guards by the Taliban on January 16, 2010 as they were working on a road project in Afghanistan's northern province of Faryab. The Afghans were freed three days later after negotiations with tribal elders. Fenggiang and Yulin were freed on April 24, 2010.


Denmark


Released (1)

:*Nagieb Kahja, a Danish-Afghan journalist, was kidnapped in
Kunar Province Kunar (Pashto: ; Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeastern part of the country. Its capital is Asadabad. Its population is estimated to be 508,224. Kunar's major political groups include Wahhabis or Ahl-e- Ha ...
by the Taliban on July 25, 2007. On the same day Nagieb Kahja was freed after few hours in captivity.


France


Released (10)

:*Eric Damfreville and Céline Cordelier, workers for Terre d'Enfance, were kidnapped with three Afghan aid workers by the Taliban on April 3, 2007 in
Nimruz Province Nimruz or Nimroz (Dari: ; Balochi: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country. It lies to the east of the Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran and north of Balochistan, Pakistan, also borde ...
. Cordelier was released on April 28, 2007, Damfreville was released on May 11, 2007 and the three aid workers were released on May 21, 2007. :*Johan Freckhaus, a businessman, was abducted in the Gailan District of
Ghazni Province Ghazni (Dari: ) is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in southeastern Afghanistan. The province contains 19 districts, encompassing over a thousand villages and roughly 1.3 million people, making it the 5th most populous province. Th ...
on May 29, 2008. He was released safely along with two Afghan colleagues on June 19, 2008. :*Two employees of the French aid organisation Action Contre La Faim (ACF) were taken hostage by gunmen on July 18, 2008. They were freed on August 1, 2008. :*Dany Egreteau, an education specialist who worked for the non-governmental organisation Solidarité Laïque, was kidnapped by the Taliban in Kabul on November 3, 2008. Another Frenchman managed to escape. An Afghan man who tried to stop the abduction was shot dead. Egreteau was released on December 3, 2008. :*Stephane Taponier and Herve Ghesquiere, journalists for
France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info. It is made up of a network of regional television services provi ...
, were taken hostage along with their translator, editorial fixer and driver by the Taliban on December 30, 2009. They were freed along with their translator on June 29, 2011. Their driver and editorial fixer were freed a few weeks earlier. :*Pierre Borghi, a twenty-nine-year-old freelance photojournalist, escaped after four months in captivity. Kidnapped in Kabul on November 28, 2012, he resurfaced in Wardak province and was freed in Kabul on April 8, 2013. A second French hostage, age 30 and a development aid worker, was also freed, on the same day, by his kidnappers in Kabul, a spokesman for France's foreign ministry said, on April 8, 2013.


Germany


Released (5)

:*Norbert W., an engineer of a U.S. construction company, was kidnapped along with his Afghan translator by criminals on June 28, 2007, in
Farah Province Farah (Dari: , ''Farā'') is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southwestern part of the country next to Iran. It is a spacious and sparsely populated province, divided into eleven districts and contains hundreds of villages. ...
. After a $40,000 ransom was paid, they were released one week later, on July 5, 2007. :*Christina Meier, an aid worker for Ora International, was kidnapped in Kabul on August 18, 2007, and appeared on a video the next day calling for the release of prisoners. Christina was freed on August 19, 2007, after Norwegian special forces helped
Afghan National Police The Afghan National Police (ANP; ps, د افغانستان ملي پولیس; prs, پلیس ملی افغانستان), is the national police force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, serving as a single law enforcement agency all across ...
in storming the kidnappers' hiding place in Kabul. :*Rudolf Blechschmidt, an engineer, was kidnapped by the group of Taliban warlord Mullah Nissam Udin on July 18, 2007, along with his colleague Ruediger Diedrich and six Afghans in
Wardak Province Maidan Wardak (Pashto: ; Dari: ), also called Wardag or Wardak, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central region of Afghanistan. It is divided into eight districts and has a population of approximately 500,00 The capita ...
. One of the Afghans was eventually allowed to "escape" after his family paid a ransom. Diedrich was later killed. Blechschmidt was released on September 26, 2007, but was recaptured shortly thereafter. Rudolf and the other five Afghans were finally released on October 10, 2007, after Germany had paid a 600,000 ransom and the Afghan government had released five Taliban prisoners. :*Hadschi Asisullah, a German-Afghan businessman, was kidnapped in Kabul on July 25, 2008. He was freed by Afghan intelligence agents in
Parwan Province Parwan (Dari: ), also spelled Parvan, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It has a population of about 751,000. The province is multi-ethnic and mostly rural society. The province is divided into ten districts. The town of Imam Abu Hani ...
on August 7, 2008. Three abductors were arrested. :*Stefan E., an aid worker, was kidnapped on April 19, 2015, by the Taliban. He was rescued by Afghan police on May 29, 2015. :*Käthe B., working for German government aid agency GIZ, was kidnapped by two gunmen at gunpoint in Kabul on August 17, 2015. She was released on October 17, 2015.


Killed (2)

:*Ruediger Diedrich, an engineer, was kidnapped by the group of Taliban warlord Mullah Nissam Udin on July 18, 2007, along with his colleague Rudolf Blechschmidt in
Wardak Province Maidan Wardak (Pashto: ; Dari: ), also called Wardag or Wardak, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the central region of Afghanistan. It is divided into eight districts and has a population of approximately 500,00 The capita ...
. Diedrich was found dead of gunshot wounds on July 21, 2007. :*Harald Kleber, who worked for Gruenhelme, was kidnapped by unknown gunmen in
Herat Province Herat ( Persian: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north-western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city a ...
on December 16, 2007. On March 14, 2008, it was reported that the abductors demanded $50,000 dollars ransom for his release. The abductors had initially demanded $100,000 dollars for his release but decreased the amount. Kleber was killed sometime after that because the ransom they demanded was not paid.


India


Released (3)

:*Pemmasani Murali and Gonem Varadaiah, construction workers for B. Seenaiah & Company, were kidnapped by Taliban gunmen on December 6, 2003. They were released on December 24, 2003. :*Sarang Mohammad Naeem, working for a Dubai-based company, was kidnapped along with his Nepali colleague and their Afghan driver on April 21, 2008, in
Herat Province Herat ( Persian: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north-western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city a ...
. The driver was later released. Naeem and his colleague were freed on May 18, 2008.


Killed (2)

:*Maniappan Raman Kutty, an engineer working for Border Road Organisation, was kidnapped with his Afghan driver and two Afghan bodyguards by the Taliban on November 19, 2005. The driver and two bodyguards were later released but Maniappan was found nearly decapitated on November 23, 2005. :*Kasula Suryanarayana, a telecommunications worker for Al-Moayed, was kidnapped along with his Afghan driver by the Taliban on April 28, 2006. The driver was later released but Kasula was found beheaded on April 30, 2006.


Iraq


Released (1)

:*
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad Ghaith Abdul-Ahad (Arabic: غيث عبدالأحد, born 1975) is an Iraqi journalist who began working after the U.S. invasion. Abdul-Ahad has written for ''The Guardian'' and ''The Washington Post'' and published photographs in ''The New York T ...
, on assignment for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', was kidnapped on December 10, 2009 along with two Afghan journalists. All three were released on December 16.


Iran


Released (12)

:*Twelve engineers were abducted along with three Afghans in Farah Province near the border with Iran. They were released three days later


Italy


Released (3)

:*Clementina Cantoni, a worker for CARE International, was kidnapped in Kabul on May 16, 2005, apparently by a criminal gang. Her driver was not taken. Cantoni was released on June 9, 2005. :* Gabriele Torsello, a freelance journalist, was kidnapped in
Helmand Province Helmand (Pashto/Dari: ; ), also known as Hillmand, in ancient times, as Hermand and Hethumand, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, in the south of the country. It is the largest province by area, covering area. The province contains 13 ...
on October 12, 2006. His Afghan translator was not taken. Torsello was released on November 3, 2006. :* Daniele Mastrogiacomo, a journalist, was kidnapped on March 5, 2007 by the Taliban, along with his Afghan translator, Ajmal Naqshbandi, and Afghan driver, Sayed Agha. Naqshbandi and Agha were later beheaded. Mastrogiacomo was released on March 19, 2007 in exchange for five Taliban commanders.


Japan


Killed (3)

:*Jun Fukusho and Shinobu Hasegawa, two teachers who wanted to go sightseeing in Afghanistan, went missing after entering the country on August 8, 2005. They were found dead on September 1, 2005. :*Kazuya Ito, 31, and his Afghan driver-translator were abducted on August 26, 2008, as he was on his way to inspect an irrigation project in the area. The driver-translator was later released. Ito's body was found on August 27, 2008.


Released (1)

:*Kosuke Tsuneoka, journalist, was kidnapped in the northern city of Kunduz between March 31 and April 2, 2010. His captors demanded a ransom. He was released September 5, 2010.


North Macedonia


Killed (4)

:*Fadil Zenuni, Lulzam Fidani, Besim Aliu and Sabid Tahiri, employees of Ecolog, were kidnapped along with four Afghans on March 11, 2006. The four Afghans were later released but the four Macedonians were found dead on March 20, 2006.


Released (1)

:*A Red Cross worker was kidnapped by Taliban along with two Afghans and a Burmese citizen in Wardak Province on September 26, 2007, while working to secure the release of the German hostage Rudolf Blechschmidt. They were freed on September 29, 2007.


Nepal


Released (1)

:* Karna Bahadur Gurung, working for a Dubai-based company, was along with his Indian colleague and their driver on April 21, 2008, in
Herat Province Herat ( Persian: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north-western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city a ...
. The driver was later freed. Gurung and his colleague were freed on May 18, 2008.


Netherlands


Released (2)

:*Joanie de Rijke, a journalist, was kidnapped by the Taliban on November 1, 2008. She was released on November 7, 2008. :*Peter Oosterhuis was kidnapped along with his Afghan driver in the Khan Abad district on October 25, 2010. They were released on December 2, 2010.


Norway


Released (1)

:*Journalist Pål Refsdal and his interpreter were abducted on November 5, 2009 near the Pakistani border. Both were freed on the night of November 11, 2009.


Philippines


Released (1)

:*Angelito Nayan, a diplomat working for the
U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
, was kidnapped with two other workers on October 30, 2004. He was freed on November 23, 2004.


Kosovo


Released (1)

:*Shqipe Habibi, a
U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
worker from
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
, was kidnapped on October 30, 2004, with two other workers. Habibi was freed on November 23, 2004.


South Korea


Killed (2) and Released (23)

:*23 Christian aid workers, 16 women and seven men, were kidnapped by the Taliban on July 19, 2007. Two male hostages were killed. The other captives were freed on August 30, 2007. See 2007 South Korean hostage crisis in Afghanistan. :*Two construction workers, along with their local driver and two bodyguards, were kidnapped in
Samangan province Samangan (Dari: ; Pashto: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located north of the Hindu Kush mountains in the central part of the country. The province covers and is surrounded by Sar-e Pol Province in the west, Balkh in the ...
on December 13, 2010. They were later freed by local police.


Turkey


Released (7)

:*Hassan Onal, an engineer working on a highway, was kidnapped along with his Afghan driver by the Taliban in southern Afghanistan on October 30, 2003. The driver was freed a day later. Hassan was released on November 30, 2003. :*Gokhan Gul and Erhan Gunduz, two engineers working at a construction project, were kidnapped along with their Afghan driver by a group of gunmen in
Herat Province Herat ( Persian: ) is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the north-western part of the country. Together with Badghis, Farah, and Ghor provinces, it makes up the north-western region of Afghanistan. Its primary city a ...
on July 14, 2008. They were released on July 20, 2008. :*Four engineers were kidnapped along with their driver in Paktia province on December 26, 2010. The driver was released a few days later. The engineers were released on September 4, 2011.


United Kingdom


Rescued (1)

:* Stephen Farrell, reporter for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', was kidnapped along with his Afghan interpreter, Sultan Manadi, by the Taliban while visiting the site of a deadly NATO airstrike in northern Afghanistan on September 5, 2009. His driver managed to escape. Farrell was the second NY Times reporter to be kidnapped by the Taliban. Farrell was rescued by British commandos on September 9, 2009. Manadi was killed during the rescue effort.


Killed (2)

:*David John Addison, a security contractor, was kidnapped by the Taliban in western Afghanistan on August 31, 2005. His body was found on September 3, 2005. :*
Linda Norgrove Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake ...
, an aid worker for the aid group Development Alternatives Inc was kidnapped along with three Afghan colleagues by the Taliban on September 26, 2010 in Kunar Province. The three Afghans were released on October 3, 2010. Norgrove was killed by friendly fire during a botched rescue attempt on October 8, 2010.


Released (2)

:* Sean Langan, a journalist for
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
, was kidnapped along with his Afghan translator by the Taliban on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan on March 22, 2008. They were released on June 21, 2008. :*Annetta Flanigan, a
U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
worker, was kidnapped with two other
U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
workers on October 30, 2004. She was freed with the others on November 23, 2004.


United States


Killed (1)

:*Cydney Mizell, an aid worker, was kidnapped along with her Afghan driver Muhammad Hadi on January 26, 2008, in a residential neighborhood of
Kandahar Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...
. On February 26, 2008, it was reported that the two were killed. The organization they worked for says the two are believed to be dead.


Rescued (2)

:*Caitlan Connemara Coleman was kidnapped along with her Canadian husband Joshua Ainslie Boyle by the Taliban in October 2012. Coleman was seven months pregnant at the time and gave birth three times in captivity. The couple appeared in two hostage videos sent to their families in 2013. In November 2015, Coleman's family received a letter from her stating she had given birth to a second son in captivity. In December 2016 video footage emerged of her and husband and two children born in captivity. Coleman, Boyle and their three children were rescued by Pakistani forces on October 11, 2017. :*An American (name withheld), working for the Army Corps of Engineers, was abducted along with his Afghan partner on August 20, 2008, by members of the Hezb-i-Islami (Party of Islam) militant group of
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ( ps, ګلب الدين حكمتيار; born 1 August 1949) is an Afghan politician, former mujahideen leader and drug trafficker. He is the founder and current leader of the Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin political party, so calle ...
. The Afghan was released five days later after a ransom was paid. The American was rescued on October 15, 2008, by U.S. Special Forces soldiers conducting a nighttime operation.


Released (3)

:*Kevin King, a professor, was kidnapped along with Australian professor Timothy John Weeks by the Taliban on August 7, 2016, while traveling in Kabul. Their driver and bodyguard were not taken. King was released by the Taliban along with Weeks in November 2019 as part of a prisoner swap. :* Safi Rauf, working with Human First, was kidnapped along with his brother Anees Khalil, by the Taliban in December 2021. Rauf was carrying out humanitarian work in Kabul at the time of his abduction. Rauf and his brother were held by the Taliban until April 2022, where they were released following negotiations by the Biden Administration. :* Mark Randall Frerichs, a contractor, was kidnapped by the Taliban on January 31, 2020 in Kabul. He was released in exchange for Bashir Noorzai on September 19, 2022.


Escaped (1)

:* David Stephenson Rohde, a reporter for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', was kidnapped by the Taliban outside Kabul on November 10, 2008, along with his Afghan translator, Tahir Ludin, and Afghan driver, Asadullah Mangal. He and Ludin managed to escape on June 19, 2009, after seven months in captivity by climbing over the wall of the compound where they were being held in the
North Waziristan North Waziristan District ( ps, شمالي وزیرستان ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. It is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanis ...
region of Pakistan. Mangal was left behind but he managed to escape on July 27, 2009.


Unknown (1)

:* Paul Edwin Overby Jr., an author, was last heard from in May 2014, in
Khost Khōst ( ps, خوست) is the capital of Khost Province in Afghanistan. It is the largest city in the southeastern part of the country, and also the largest in the region of Loya Paktia. To the south and east of Khost lie Waziristan and Kurram ...
, Afghanistan, when he was on his way to
Waziristan Waziristan (Pashto and ur, , "land of the Wazir") is a mountainous region covering the former FATA agencies of North Waziristan and South Waziristan which are now districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Waziristan covers some . ...
in
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
's
Federally Administered Tribal Areas , conventional_long_name = Federally Administered Tribal Areas , nation = Pakistan , subdivision = Autonomous territory , image_flag = Flag of FATA.svg , image_coat = File:Coat of arms ...
, to interview
Sirajuddin Haqqani Sirajuddin Haqqani ( ps, سراج الدين حقاني, Sirāj al-Dīn Ḥaqqānī, ; aliases ''Khalifa'', and, ''Siraj Haqqani''. born December 1979) is an Afghan Islamist militant who is the first deputy leader of Afghanistan and the acti ...
. The Taliban have officially denied any involvement in Overby's disappearance.


See also

*
Foreign hostages in Iraq Members of the Iraqi insurgency began taking foreign hostages in Iraq beginning in April 2004. Since then, in a dramatic instance of Islamist kidnapping they have taken captive more than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis; among them, dozens ...
*
Foreign hostages in Pakistan This is a list of known foreign hostages in Pakistan. Foreign nationals have often been abducted by various militant groups who are involved in the current War in North-West Pakistan and are linked to terrorism in Pakistan. Most of these kidnapping ...
* Foreign hostages in Nigeria *
Foreign hostages in Somalia The following is a list of known foreign hostages captured in Somalia, particularly since the start of the Ethiopian intervention and the 2009–present phase of the civil war. Australia Released (1) :*Nigel Brennan, was a photojournalist who ...


References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite news , url = https://www.dawn.com/news/1311030 , title = Call for release of US writer missing in North Waziristan , publisher =
Dawn (Pakistan) ''Dawn'' is a Pakistani English-language newspaper that was launched in British India in 1941. It is the largest English newspaper in Pakistan, and also serves as the country's newspaper of record. ''Dawn'' is the flagship publication of the ...
, date = January 27, 2017 , location =
Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, access-date = February 28, 2017 , quote = A media advocacy group, Reporters Without Borders, called on Wednesday for the immediate release of Paul Overby, an American writer who disappeared in North Waziristan.
{{cite news , url = https://news.vice.com/story/us-and-australian-hostages-beg-trump-to-help-free-them-from-taliban , title = Proof of Life , website=
Vice News Vice News (stylized as VICE News) is Vice Media's current affairs channel, producing daily documentary essays and video through its website and YouTube channel. It promotes itself on its coverage of "under-reported stories". Vice News was create ...
, author = David Gilbert , date = January 12, 2017 , access-date = February 28, 2017 , quote = Just this month Jane Larson, a Massachusetts resident, revealed that her husband Paul Overby had been abducted two years ago after traveling to Afghanistan to interview the head of Haqqani network for a book he was writing. His whereabouts are unknown.
{{cite news , url = http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/05/politics/taliban-american-hostage/ , title = Family reveals American vanished in Afghanistan two years ago , website=
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
, author = Peter Bergen , author-link = Peter Bergen , date = January 5, 2017 , access-date = February 28, 2017 , quote = For the past two and half years, Overby's family had kept his disappearance a secret and had requested media outlets that were aware that he was missing, including CNN, also keep the matter confidential out of fear for his life if it became public.
{{cite news , url = https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/us/politics/wife-of-american-man-missing-in-afghanistan-says-he-was-abducted.html , title = Wife of American Man Missing in Afghanistan Says He Was Abducted , work=
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
, author = Adam Goldman , author-link = Adam Goldman , date = January 4, 2017 , location =
Washington DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, access-date = February 28, 2017 , quote = In an article published on Thursday in The News International in Islamabad, Jane Larson, the wife of Paul Overby, said in a statement that he disappeared in May 2014 as he tried to cross into Pakistan from Khost in eastern Afghanistan.
{{cite news , url = https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/176956-American-author-Overby-untraceable-two-years-after-he-we , title = American author Overby untraceable two years after he went missing , website=
The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London that cater ...
, author = Rahimullah Yusufzai , author-link = Rahimullah Yusufzai , date = January 3, 2017 , access-date = February 28, 2017 , quote = According to his family, the 74-year-old Overby had gone to Afghanistan to write a book on the ongoing war as a means of explaining the conflict from both the sides.
{{cite news , url = http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2017/01/05/secret-u-s-hostage-held-by-taliban-identified-as-paul-overby.html , title = 'Secret' U.S. Hostage Held by Taliban Identified as Paul Overby , website =
Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
, date = January 5, 2017 , access-date = February 28, 2017 , quote = As The Daily Beast first reported one year ago, a group of Taliban-aligned Islamist militants had been holding an American man hostage for more than a year. At the time, The Beast withheld the hostage’s name at the request of his family and law-enforcement officials.
{{cite news , url = http://www.voanews.com/a/afghan-taliban-statement-puts-american-author-whereabouts-question/3744123.html , title = Afghan Taliban Statement Puts American Author's Whereabouts in Question , website = voanews.com , publisher =
Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...
, date = February 28, 2017 , access-date = February 28, 2017
Kidnapping in Afghanistan War crimes in Afghanistan