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Paul Overby

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Paul Overby
BornNovember 27, 1942
Illinois, United States
DisappearedMay 17, 2014(2014-05-17) (aged 71)
Waziristan, Pakistan
StatusMissing for 12 years, 1 month and 9 days
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][excessive citations] 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]

Biography

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Overby lived in Portland, Oregon in the 1980s and 1990s, during which time he contributed to The Oregonian on topics including Zanzibar and Afghanistan.[10][11] He also briefly lived in Zanzibar in that time.[10]

According to Overby, he first traveled to Afghanistan in 1988 to document the mujahideen fighting in the Soviet–Afghan War. He further claimed to have fought alongside them.[9] In 1993, Overby published a book on the Soviet–Afghan War, Holy Blood: An Inside View of the Afghan War.[12]

In 2002, he and his wife moved from New York City to a colonial-era house in Goshen, Massachusetts.[13] Writing for CNN in 2017, Peter Bergen described Overby as being from Western Massachusetts.[9]

Disappearance

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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.[14]

Reporters Without Borders called for his release, on January 27, 2017.[15] On March 19, 2019, journalist David Rohde, a former hostage who had escaped captivity several years before Overby's disappearance, described Overby as still being in captivity.[16]

Later events

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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.[17] In May 2026, the United States government issued a statement renewing its call for Overby's return.[18]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Paul Edwin Overby, Jr". Federal Bureau of Investigation.
  2. ^ Yusufzai, Rahimullah (January 3, 2017). "American author Overby untraceable two years after he went missing". The News International. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  3. ^ "'Secret' U.S. Hostage Held by Taliban Identified as Paul Overby". Daily Beast. January 5, 2017. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  4. ^ Goldman, Adam (January 4, 2017). "Wife of American Man Missing in Afghanistan Says He Was Abducted". The New York Times. Washington DC. p. A7. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Zahid, Noor (February 28, 2017). "Afghan Taliban Statement Puts American Author's Whereabouts in Question". Voice of America. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  6. ^ Gilbert, David (January 12, 2017). "Proof of Life". Vice News. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  7. ^ a b "$1 Million Reward Offered for Information Leading to the Return of Kevin King and Paul Edwin Overby, Jr". Federal Bureau of Investigation. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  8. ^ "Most Wanted Kidnappings/Missing Persons: Paul Edwin Overby, Jr". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c Bergen, Peter (January 5, 2017). "Family reveals American vanished in Afghanistan two years ago". CNN. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  10. ^ a b Overby, Paul (September 5, 1985). "Right road for Zanzibar is still proving elusive". The Sunday Oregonian. p. 23. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  11. ^ Overby, Paul (September 8, 1993). "Did U.S. blunder in helping mujahideen?". The Oregonian. p. 31. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  12. ^ 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 March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  13. ^ Reagan, Sean (July 8, 2006). "Goshen home bespeaks the past". Daily Hampshire Gazette. p. 16. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
  14. ^ "Remarks by spokesman of Islamic Emirate answering family of US citizen Paul Overby". Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. February 28, 2017. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  15. ^ "Call for release of US writer missing in North Waziristan". Dawn. January 27, 2017. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  16. ^ Rodhe, David (March 19, 2019). "An Exaggerated Trump Achievement Worthy of Applause". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  17. ^ "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 September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  18. ^ Tabachnick, Cara (May 15, 2026). "U.S. reups $6 million reward in case of American who vanished 12 years ago in Afghanistan". CBS News. Retrieved May 18, 2026.
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