Pakistan

US-Canadian family freed from five years of Taliban captivity by Pakistan Army

Islamabad: A family of five Western hostages, including three children, were recovered after five years of their abduction by militants with ties to the Afghan Taliban in an operation based on intelligence shared by the US, the Pakistan Army said on Thursday.

They were captured by the militants from Afghanistan in 2012 and kept as hostages there.

“Pakistan Army and ISI recovered 5 Western hostages including 1 Canadian, his US National wife and their three children from terrorist custody through an intelligence-based operation by Pakistan troops and intelligence agencies,” the Army said in a statement.

It said the US intelligence agencies had been tracking the hostages and shared their location when they were shifted to Pakistan through the border of Kurram tribal district yesterday, a PTI report said.

The operation by Pakistani forces, based on actionable intelligence from US authorities, was successful and all hostages were recovered safe and sound and are being repatriated to the country of their origin, it added.

In Washington, US President Donald Trump hailed the release of the hostages from Taliban and identified the kidnapped couple as Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle.

He said their release was a “positive moment” for US relations with Pakistan.

“Coleman gave birth to the couple’s three children while they were in captivity,” Trump said in a White House statement. “Today, they are free.”

The Pakistan Army 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.

The hostages “are being repatriated to their country of origin.”

Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012 while on a backpacking trip.

Coleman, 31, was pregnant at the time of the abduction. All the children are believed to have been born in captivity, the PTI report said.

The Afghan Taliban last year released a video that showed the family, including two young boys.

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