Paul Overby

Paul Overby
Born	November 27, 1942 Illinois, United States
Disappeared	May 17, 2014(2014-05-17) (aged 71) Waziristan, Pakistan
Status	Missing for 11 years, 8 months and 27 days
Other names	Paul Edwin Overby, Jr.
Occupation	Author
Known for	Disappeared mysteriously in Waziristan

Paul Edwin Overby Jr. (born November 27, 1942) ^[1] is an American author who disappeared on his way to Waziristan, in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas, to interview Sirajuddin Haqqani. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]} Overby's wife, Jane Larson, revealed it happened on May 17, 2014. Journalists agreed not to publish his identity until January 2017, when she agreed to make his identity public. ^[9]

Disappearance

Larson had believed Overby had been kidnapped by the Taliban. ^[5] However, on February 28, 2017, the Taliban released a statement denying that they had kidnapped Overby. ^[10]

Reporters Without Borders called for his release, on January 27, 2017. ^[11] On March 19, 2019, journalist David Rohde, a former hostage himself, noted in The New Yorker , that Overby was one of the Americans still in captivity. ^[12]

Later events

On May 8, 2018, the Federal Bureau of Investigation offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his rescue. ^[7] In addition, the US government's counterterrorism Rewards for Justice Program offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his location. ^[13]

Publications

In 1993, Overby published a book on the Soviet–Afghan War, Holy Blood: An Inside View of the Afghan War. ^[14]

See also

• List of kidnappings
• List of people who disappeared mysteriously (2000–present)

References

1. "Paul Edwin Overby, Jr". Federal Bureau of Investigation.
2. Yusufzai, Rahimullah (2017-01-03). "American author Overby untraceable two years after he went missing". The News International . Archived from the original on 2018-09-11. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
3. "'Secret' U.S. Hostage Held by Taliban Identified as Paul Overby". Daily Beast. 2017-01-05. Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
4. Goldman, Adam (2017-01-04). "Wife of American Man Missing in Afghanistan Says He Was Abducted" . The New York Times . Washington DC. p. A7. Archived from the original on 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
5. Zahid, Noor (2017-02-28). "Afghan Taliban Statement Puts American Author's Whereabouts in Question". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 2017-05-28. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
6. Gilbert, David (2017-01-12). "Proof of Life". Vice News. Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
7. "$1 Million Reward Offered for Information Leading to the Return of Kevin King and Paul Edwin Overby, Jr". Federal Bureau of Investigation. 2018-06-18. Archived from the original on 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
8. "Most Wanted Kidnappings/Missing Persons: Paul Edwin Overby, Jr". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on 2019-01-10. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
9. Bergen, Peter (2017-01-05). "Family reveals American vanished in Afghanistan two years ago". CNN. Archived from the original on 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
10. "Remarks by spokesman of Islamic Emirate answering family of US citizen Paul Overby". Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. 2017-02-28. Archived from the original on 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
11. "Call for release of US writer missing in North Waziristan". Dawn . 2017-01-27. Archived from the original on 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2017-02-28.
12. Rodhe, David (2019-03-19). "An Exaggerated Trump Achievement Worthy of Applause". The New Yorker . Archived from the original on 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
13. "Kidnapping of Paul Edwin Overby, Jr. (Khost Province, Afghanistan | May 2014) | Reward: Up to $5 Million". Rewards for Justice Program. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
14. Overby, Paul (1993). Holy blood: an inside view of the Afghan War. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishing. ISBN   0-275-94622-3. Archived from the original on 2017-03-01. Retrieved 2019-03-27.