Canadian-American couple Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman were kidnapped in Afghanistan's Maidan Wardak Province in October 2012 and held for five years by the Haqqani network before being rescued by Pakistani forces in October 2017.
In October 2012, Canadian-American couple Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman were traveling through Central and South Asia when they crossed into Afghanistan. Boyle was born in Breslau, Ontario, attended Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, and graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2005. He had previously become known as a spokesman for the family of Omar Khadr, a Canadian held at Guantanamo Bay, and briefly married Khadr's sister Zaynab in 2009 before divorcing in 2010. Coleman was born in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania. The couple met online as teenagers and married in 2011, later settling in Perth-Andover, New Brunswick, where Boyle worked as a municipal clerk.
In July 2012 the couple began traveling through Russia and Central Asia with the stated plan of visiting the "safe '-stans." The reasons they crossed into Afghanistan in October 2012 are not fully established; Boyle later said it was to help "ordinary villagers," while other accounts describe the decision as more spontaneous. On October 8, 2012, Boyle emailed his parents stating that he and Coleman were in an "unsafe" part of Afghanistan. Shortly afterward, the pair were captured by members of the Haqqani network. Coleman was pregnant at the time of capture. A first ransom video was released in early 2013, with the Haqqani network demanding the release of prisoners in exchange for the couple, and it was revealed that Coleman had given birth to a son while in captivity.
Over their five-year captivity, Coleman gave birth to a second son and a daughter, and suffered a miscarriage of a second daughter. Coleman and Boyle have said the miscarriage was intentionally caused by their captors, while the Taliban has stated it occurred naturally. The couple reported being regularly separated from each other and beaten, and Coleman has said she was raped during captivity. The family was repeatedly moved between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In September 2017, U.S. intelligence indicated that a vehicle believed to be carrying Coleman and her children was traveling from Afghanistan to Pakistan. SEAL Team Six prepared a possible extraction, but concerns about the reliability of the intelligence and operational logistics led the United States to instead pass the information to the Pakistani government, requesting that it oversee a rescue. On October 11, 2017, Pakistani troops located the vehicle in the Kurram Valley, shot out its tires, and rescued the family, who were found locked in the trunk. A shootout followed in which some captors were killed while others fled; Boyle was injured by shrapnel. The family was taken to Islamabad and then traveled to Canada via the United Kingdom, with Boyle declining to travel with American rescuers.
After their rescue, the family stayed with Boyle's parents in Smiths Falls, Ontario, before relocating to Ottawa. In December 2017, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the family at Boyle's request.
Joshua Boyle marries Zaynab Khadr, sister of Omar Khadr.
2010
Boyle and Zaynab Khadr divorce.
2011
Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman marry.
2012-07
Boyle and Coleman begin traveling through Russia and Central Asia.
2012-10-08
Boyle emails his parents saying the couple is in an 'unsafe' part of Afghanistan; the couple is soon after captured by the Haqqani network in Maidan Wardak Province.
2013
First ransom video of the couple is released; it is revealed Coleman has given birth to a son in captivity.
2017-09
U.S. intelligence identifies a vehicle believed to be carrying Coleman and her children traveling from Afghanistan to Pakistan; a possible SEAL Team Six extraction is prepared but not carried out.
2017-10-11
Pakistani troops intercept the vehicle in the Kurram Valley, rescue the family from the trunk, and a shootout occurs with the captors.
2017-12
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with the family after Boyle requests a meeting.
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Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
The Fifth Estate / 41 min
Captive: Caitlan Coleman vs. Joshua Boyle - The Fifth Estate
People
Joshua Boyle
VICTIM
Canadian national kidnapped with his wife by the Haqqani network in Afghanistan and held captive for five years; injured by shrapnel during the rescue.
Caitlan Coleman
VICTIM
American national kidnapped while pregnant, held captive for five years by the Haqqani network, gave birth to three children in captivity and reported being raped.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Canadian-American couple Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman were kidnapped in Afghanistan's Maidan Wardak Province in October 2012 and held for five years by the Haqqani network before being rescued by Pakistani forces in October 2017.
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