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Canadian-American family freed after five years as captives in Afghanistan Canadian-American family freed after five years as captives in Afghanistan
(about 3 hours later)
US officials have confirmed the release of an American woman, her Canadian husband and their three young children, bringing an end to the couple’s nearly five years in captivity at the hands of a militant group aligned with the Taliban. Nearly five years to the day after they were captured by militants linked to the Taliban, an American woman, her Canadian husband and their three children – all of whom were born in captivity – have been rescued, bringing an end to an ordeal the couple described as “Kafkaesque nightmare.”
Troops in Pakistan, working with the United States government, secured the release of Caitlan Coleman and her husband Joshua Boyle, Donald Trump said in a statement on Thursday. Pakistani troops, operating on intelligence provided by the United States, rescued Caitlan Coleman, her husband Joshua Boyle and their children, after locating them in the mountainous Kurram Valley region that borders Afghanistan.
“Ms Coleman gave birth to the couple’s three children while they were in captivity,” the US president added. “Today they are free.” “Today they are free,” Donald Trump said on Thursday in a statement confirming their release.
The couple was kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012 and believed to be held by the Haqqani network, a network deemed a terrorist organisation by the US. The couple were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012 and were believed to be held by the Haqqani network, a group deemed a terrorist organisation by the US.
Boyle’s family said they had received a call from their son early Thursday morning to share the news of their release. “Josh said he was doing pretty well for someone who has spent the last five years in an underground prison,” Patrick Boyle told the Toronto Star. His son also told him that he and Coleman had had a third baby – a little girl – who was born two months ago. Boyle’s family said they had received a call from their son early on Thursday morning, describing it as the first time in five years they had been able to speak to their son.
In a statement, the Pakistani military said US intelligence officials had been tracking the family and had alerted Pakistan when the couple was moved into the tribal areas that border Afghanistan. “All hostages were recovered safe and sound, and are being repatriated to the country of their origin,” it added. “Josh said he was doing pretty well for someone who has spent the last five years in an underground prison,” Patrick Boyle told the Toronto Star. His son also told him that he and Coleman had had a third baby – a girl – who had been born two months earlier.
Pakistani officials did not say when the rescue had taken place or where the family is now. Officials also declined to say when they would return to North America. Boyle told his father that the rescue operation had taken place while the family were locked in the trunk of a car. The last words Boyle heard were “kill the hostages” before a shootout erupted.
The rescue comes some 10 months after the couple’s captors released a video, showing Boyle, 34, Coleman,31, and two of their children – both of whom were born in captivity – pleading with their governments to negotiate with their captors. The five kidnappers were shot dead, and Boyle was injured by shrapnel, his father told the Star. The family are in Pakistan and are preparing to return to North America in the coming days.
In the video, Coleman described their ordeal as “the Kafkaesque nightmare in which we find ourselves”. The Colemans said the FBI had notified the family of the rescue. “The US government called us Wednesday afternoon,” Jim Coleman told ABC News. “They told me to sit down and then they told me what had happened. All they told me was that they were in ‘friendly hands’.”
Their capture came after a backpacking trip that began in Russia and took them through Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan before arriving in northern Afghanistan. Coleman, who is from Pennsylvania, was pregnant with their first child. Lyn Coleman, Caitlan’s mother, said: “I am in a state of euphoria, stunned and overjoyed. Caity and her family’s nightmare is finally over.”
Coleman’s parents said they had last heard from their son-in-law in 2012, who contacted them from an internet cafe in what he described as an “unsafe” part of Afghanistan. The Pakistani military said US intelligence officials had been tracking the family’s location and had alerted Pakistan after the couple were moved into the Kurram Valley region, a tribal area that borders Afghanistan. “All hostages were recovered safe and sound and are being repatriated to the country of their origin,” the military added.
In 2013, the couple appeared in two videos pleading with the US government to free them from the Taliban. Coleman’s parents later told reporters that they had received a letter in which their daughter said she had given birth to a second child in captivity. A senior intelligence official in Islamabad told the Guardian that the Haqqani network had demanded a ransom of 15 million rupees and the release of captives from Afghanistan in exchange for the family’s release. The source said the ransom was not paid. It was unclear whether any other concessions were made.
In the most recent video, the couple refer to their two sons as their “surviving children” without explanation, indicating Coleman potentially miscarried.A letter sent to Boyle’s parents and shared with the Toronto Star last year detailed the lengths the couple went to deliver their second son; hiding the pregnancy from captors until Boyle delivered the child in the darkness, guided only by a flashlight clenched between his teeth. The rescue comes 10 months after the couple’s captors released a video, showing Boyle, now 34, Coleman, 31, and their two children, pleading with their governments to negotiate with their captors.
“The astonished captors were good and brought all our post-partum needs, so he is now fat and healthy, praise God,” Boyle wrote in the letter. “We are trying to keep spirits high for the children and play Beautiful Life,” he added, believed to be a reference to the Italian film Life is Beautiful, in which a father shields his son from the realities of a Nazi concentration camp by pretending they are in a game. “We can only ask and pray that somebody will recognize the atrocities these men carry out against us as so-called retaliation, in their ingratitude and hypocrisy,” Coleman told the camera, appearing to read from prepared remarks. “My children have seen their mother defiled.”
On Thursday, Trump heralded the operation as a “positive moment” for the relationship between US and Pakistan. She described their years-long ordeal as “the Kafkaesque nightmare in which we find ourselves”.
“The Pakistani government’s cooperation is a sign that it is honoring America’s wishes for it to do more to provide security in the region,” he said in his statement. “We hope to see this type of cooperation and teamwork in helping secure the release of remaining hostages and in our future joint counter-terrorism operations.” The couple – who met as teenagers online and bonded over their love of Star Wars fan sites – were abducted in 2012 during a backpacking trip that began in Russia and took them through Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan before their arrival in northern Afghanistan. Coleman, from Pennsylvania, was pregnant with their first child at the time.
Coleman’s parents said they had last heard from their son-in-law in 2012, after he contacted them from an internet cafe in what he described as an “unsafe” part of Afghanistan.
In 2013, the couple appeared in two videos pleading with the US government to free them from the Taliban. Coleman’s parents later told reporters they had received a letter in which their daughter said she had given birth to a second child in captivity.
A letter sent to Boyle’s parents and shared with the Toronto Star last year detailed the lengths the couple had gone to to deliver the child; hiding the pregnancy from captors until Boyle delivered the child in darkness, guided only by a flashlight clenched between his teeth.
“The astonished captors were good and brought all our post-partum needs, so he is now fat and healthy, praise God,” Boyle wrote in the letter to his parents. “We are trying to keep spirits high for the children and play Beautiful Life,” he added, believed to be a reference to Life is Beautiful, the Italian film in which a father shields his son from the realities of a Nazi concentration camp by pretending they are in a game.
In the years prior to his capture, Boyle, from Ontario, was a familiar figure to reporters in Canada. He had been married to Zaynab Khadr, the sister of Omar Khadr, the Canadian held for 10 years held at Guantánamo Bay after being captured as a teenager during a firefight at an al-Qaida compound in Afghanistan.
Boyle soon became a spokesperson of sorts for the Khadr family, helping Zaynab in her push to raise awareness of her brother’s case. In a 2009 interview, Boyle detailed his fascination with terrorism, counter-terrorism and security. “Anything related to terrorism on Wikipedia, I wrote, pretty much,” he told the Globe and Mail. His marriage to Khadr lasted about a year.
On Thursday, Trump heralded the rescue as a “positive moment” for the relationship between US and Pakistan “The Pakistani government’s cooperation is a sign that it is honouring America’s wish that it do more to provide security in the region,” Trump said at a White House event. “They worked very hard on this and I believe they are starting to respect the United States again.”
A day earlier, Trump had hinted at an imminent rescue. “America is being respected again,” he told an audience in Pennsylvania. “Something happened today where a country that totally disrespected us called with some very, very important news. And one of my generals came in, they said, you know, I have to tell you, a year ago they would have never done that. It was a great sign of respect. You’ll probably be hearing about it over the next few days.”
US officials have long accused Pakistan’s military and intelligence services of providing cover for militants; they have also criticised them for not doing enough to crack down on the Haqqani network, believed to be responsible for several attacks against the US and allied forces in Afghanistan.
News of the rescue broke on the same day that a US delegation – including senior officials from the state and defense departments – travelled to Islamabad to meet with Pakistan’s ministry of foreign affairs.
Canada said it had also been actively engaged with the governments of the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan and thanked them for their efforts in securing the family’s release on Thursday.
“We are greatly relieved that after being held hostage for five years, Joshua Boyle and his wife Caitlan Coleman, as well as their young children, have been released and are safe,” the country’s foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, said. “Joshua, Caitlan, their children and the Boyle and Coleman families have endured a horrible ordeal over the past five years. We stand ready to support them as they begin their healing journey.”