Paul Overby

Last updated
Paul Overby
BornNovember 27, 1942
Illinois, United States
DisappearedMay 17, 2014 (aged 71)
Waziristan, Pakistan
Status Missing for 10 years, 3 months and 29 days
NationalityAmerican
Other namesPaul Edwin Overby, Jr.
OccupationAuthor
Known forDisappeared 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]

Contents

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 Rodhe, a former hostage himself, noted in the 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

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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. 1 2 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 2 "$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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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.