U.S. Renews $6 Million Reward for American Missing in Afghanistan Since 2014

The United States on Friday renewed two rewards totaling $6 million for information about an American who vanished while conducting research for a book in Afghanistan 12 years ago. The individual disappeared in May 2014 in Khost province and had indicated he might cross the border into Pakistan, the FBI said.

" His wife told Reuters that he was researching a follow-up to the book and had hoped to interview the head of the Taliban-allied Haqqani militant network. In 2017 she told a Pakistani newspaper that she believed he had been kidnapped and appealed for his release.

He would be 83 years old now.

"For over a decade, FBI agents and analysts have worked tirelessly to find Paul and bring him home," Assistant Director in Charge Darren Cox said. " The FBI Washington Field Office announced a reward of up to $1 million. The U.S. Department of State's Rewards for Justice program is still offering a reward of up to $5 million for information.

Both rewards for details leading to the individual's location, recovery and return remain unclaimed.

The Taliban has recently released several Americans who had been wrongfully detained in Afghanistan. In March, a 64-year-old academic and language expert from Colorado was released from detention. Ryan Corbett and another American, William McKenty, were released in January 2025 with the help of Qatari negotiators in exchange for a Taliban figure who had been imprisoned for life on drug trafficking charges.

George Glezmann and another American, Faye Hall, were released in March 2025. A fifth American, Amir Amiri, was freed last September. Officials continue to seek information on the American who disappeared in 2014.