American Woman, Family Freed After Five Years in Captivity in Afghanistan by the Taliban
Abducted in 2012 while hiking in Afghanistan.
Pakistan officials announced that the Taliban has freed an American woman, her Canadian husband, and their children after five years of imprisonment. From ABC News:
Caitlan Coleman, 31, and her husband Joshua Boyle, 34, who were abducted while hiking in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province in 2012, were secured in an exchange between Pakistani military and U.S. commandos late Wednesday in a secret operation to bring them home after one of the longest — and strangest — American hostage ordeals in recent history, counterterrorism officials revealed.
The captor network was believed by intelligence and counterterrorism officials to have been part of the al-Qaeda-aligned Afghan Haqqani Network — which also held Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl prisoner for five years until May 2014 — but no one ever asked the families to pay ransom. The Haqqanis also have close ties to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate.
Coleman and Boyle went on a trip in 2012 to visit Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan. Boyle contacted his in-laws on October 8, 2012, from an internet cafe in an “‘unsafe’ part of Afghanistan” as Josh described it.
The Taliban published a “proof of life” video in December 2016 that showed the entire family. Coleman asked President Barack Obama and then-President-elect Donald Trump to intervene, “saying the Taliban ‘are not going to simply release our family easily, because it is correct. They want money, power and friends. … We are told there are Afghans who are prisoners in Kabul that these men care about.'”
She also told the men that her “children have seen their mother defiled.”
Coleman was seven months pregnant when the Taliban took her. She had two more children while in captivity. From CNN:
“The operation by Pakistani forces, based on actionable intelligence from US authorities was successful; all hostages were recovered safe and sound and are being repatriated to the country of their origin,” the statement said. “The success underscores the importance of timely intelligence sharing and Pakistan’s continued commitment towards fighting this menace through cooperation between two forces against a common enemy.”
On Wednesday night, Trump hinted that “something happened today where a country that totally disrespected us called with some very, very important news.” CNN reported:
Trump did not disclose what country or any details involved but said “one of my generals came in and they said, you know, I have to tell you, a year ago they would have never done that.”
“This is a country that did not respect us, this is a country that respects us now. The world is starting to respect us again, believe me,” Trump said appearing to reference Pakistan and that country’s role in bringing about the the recovery of the four hostages.
Trump and his administration have taken a harder stance against Pakistan to force its official to crackdown on the terrorists that use the country as a safe haven. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has chosen to withhold “millions in military funding from Pakistan due to his inability to certify that Islamabad ‘has taken sufficient action against the Haqqani Network,’ a branch of the Afghan Taliban.
The Taliban still have Western hostages. CNN continued:
The Taliban continue to hold other western hostages including US citizen Kevin King, 60, and Australian citizen Timothy Weeks, 48. Both men were working as teachers at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul when they were forcibly kidnapped from a vehicle in August 2016.
In September, three administration officials told CNN that US Special Operations Forces from SEAL Team 6 attempted to rescue the two teachers shortly after they were kidnapped but the captives were not at the location the US forces raided.
One other American is believed to be held hostage in Afghanistan or Pakistan: writer Paul Overby, who is in his 70s.
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Comments
The question is…WHY the f89k would you go tramping in that part of the world FFS!
Of course hiking in that area of world is just plain stupid. So many other beautiful areas in which to hike and they choose Muslim areas.
After 5 years of Muslim style captivity these people are permanently changed in the head. And not for the good.
Bingo
Gotta admit one thing: It did wonders for husband Joshua Boyle’s weight loss program . . .
Thank you Pres. Trump. Sadly, former pres. Lie All the Time could secure the release of the traitor Bergdahl, but failed to rescue this woman from 5 years of captivity and rape.
No doubt all the hollywood feminists will stage a national march to vent their anger at the previous administration’s impotence by not ending the 5 years of brutality against this poor woman and her family.
Not really. These cowards will simply ‘weinstein up’ and remain silent.
They certainly won’t thank the strong resolve of the Trump administration in this matter.
So, what did this little “deal” cost us, I wonder.
Even aside from that … it’s a ridiculous story. I’m surprised anyone fell for it. Or hasn’t been able to think of something a little more convincing. Some stupid pregnant woman just felt like visiting one of the world’s stupidest places,along with stupid hammerhead hubby … and then, in case they didn’t get into trouble there, visited a few even stupider places after that. I’m shocked—shocked!—that they didn’t plan to wind up their gay little tour through the nether regions with a visit to North Korea, where they hoped to pilfer a few souvenirs.
No, I don’t believe anybody is that stupid. Ergo, there’s a lot more to this story, and we’re not hearing what it is.
Did you see where hubby Joshua Boyle had married into Muzzie Terrorist royalty in Canada?
It’s the singular reason his head is still attached to the rest of his formerly corpulent body.
Hmmmm. Wonder if part of the millions Canada paid for the release of his former wife’s brother from GITMO went for a little ransom?
Why did the Canadians not work to get the family back? The husband is Canadian. Why is it America has to take the lead. The poor decision to go hiking in that part of the world speaks for itself.
To the above two commenters – don’t assume what you don’t know. Many of the details will have to remain secret to protect those who were intermediaries in this deal. Also, I’m sure lots of bloggers and the media are even now beating the bushes to find anything that could cast shade on the Trump administration, especially since the Bergdahl deal blew up in their faces. So let’s wait and see what shakes out rather than rushing to speculate.
…and if they can’t find anything to make the Trump administration look bad, they’ll happily make it up and all of the usual suspects will repeat it ad infinitum…
This article is missing a YUUGE part:
Fox News reports that Boyle used to be married to the sister of Omar Khadr, the jihadi who spent 10 years in Gitmo after tossing a greande at US troops that killed a medic.
Upon his release, Boyle refused to be flown to the US. He’s concerned he will be arrested for having terrorist ties.
“Hiking” my a55. This guy and his wife were over there for a lot more thank just “hiking”.