Family of Canadian-American couple held in Afghanistan pleads for their rescue
The families of a Canadian man and his American wife, believed to be held by the Taliban in Afghanistan since 2012, are now seeking more government help to bring them home.
Canadian Joshua Boyle and American Caitlan Coleman are identified in two videos released last week.
In October 2012, Ms. Coleman, who was seven months pregnant, and Mr. Boyle, disappeared in Afghanistan. They had been travelling for several months, and had spent time in Russia, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, among other places.
There has never been a ransom demand and the motives for their kidnapping remain unclear. We hear how this happened, and what Ottawa should do about it.
- Michelle Shephard is the National Security Reporter for the Toronto Star.
- Jere Van Dyk was held captive by the Taliban for 45 days. He's a consultant for CBS News and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
- Dan McTeague is a former Liberal MP who was responsible for helping Canadians detained abroad from 2003 to 2006. The Current also requested an interview with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development. The government declined, but sent us this statement:
The Government of Canada is aware that a Canadian citizen, Joshua Boyle, and his American wife were kidnapped in Afghanistan. Canada has been pursuing all appropriate channels to seek further information and officials are in close contact with Afghan authorities. Canada's first priority is the safety and security of its citizens. The Government of Canada will not comment or release any information which may compromise ongoing efforts and risks endangering the safety of Canadian citizens abroad.
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This segment was produced by The Current's Pacinthe Mattar and Naheed Mustafa.