Yesterday, October 11, in the course of an undercover operation was rescued by a family of five, which was within five years held hostage by the terrorist group. Representatives of the anti-terrorist group stated that this case was one of the longest kidnappings involving American citizens in recent history.
In 2012, the 31-year-old American Caitlan Coleman and her 34-year-old husband, canadian Joshua Boyle was kidnapped during their journey in the mountainous region near the Afghan capital Kabul. After that, a guerrilla insurgent group Haqqaniwith ties to the Taliban, sent the spouses in Pakistan. At the time of the abduction Coleman was pregnant.
In 2013, a couple in two movies appealed to the US government with a request to release them from the Taliban. In the following video, released last year, the couple expressed fear that they could be executed in response to the attacks and pressure against the Taliban. While recording Coleman appeared in a traditional head scarf of Muslim women, and Boyle had a long beard.
#BREAKING: After five years held hostage, Canadian Joshua Boyle, American Caitlan Coleman & their children have been rescued. pic.twitter.com/69OYPZEoCd
— Michelle Shephard (@shephardm) October 12, 2017
«Our captors say they will to carry out repression in our family,’ said Boyle in the video. – They’re going to execute us, women and children, if the policy of the Afghan government is not abolished by the United States or Canada.»
The parents of Coleman, Jim and Lynn Coleman, told the online service of Circa Newsthat in November 2015, they received a letter from his daughter in which she said she gave birth to her second child in captivity.
«I pray again to hear how everyone getting on,» – said in the letter. Just at the time of release, the pair had three children.
The Pakistani military said that husband, wife and their three children were released in the framework of the «intelligence operation» in coordination with the United States. The white house praised the event as «positive» sign of closer cooperation with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.
Thank you to the Pakistani military for saving Caitlan Coleman, Joshua Boyle, & family from the Taliban
Same Pakistan that Trump threatened pic.twitter.com/cbdGbXh7NW
— Red T Raccoon (@RedTRaccoon) October 12, 2017
«All the hostages were unharmed and were returned to their homeland,» – said the military.
Trump has recently made a statement, which may be linked to this situation: «America is respected again. Something happened today, when the country that didn’t respect us, reported very important news. You’ll probably hear about it in the next few days… This country is now beginning to respect us».
