Family held captive by Taliban-linked group released

An American woman, her Canadian husband and the three children they had in captivity, have been released after years held captive by a network with ties to the Taliban.

U.S. officials say Pakistan secured the release of Caitlan Coleman and her husband, Canadian Joshua Boyle. 

The pair were abducted five years ago while traveling in Afghanistan and have been held by the Haqqani network.

They were released with their young children – both of whom have been born in captivity – as part of an exchange between US and Pakistani military commandos late on Wednesday night.

Caitlan Coleman, her Canadian husband Joshua Boyle and their three young children who were born in captivity, were released by their Taliban-linked captors on Wednesday night. They are seen above in a video that was filmed last year with two of their children 

The couple (shown above before they were captured) were traveling in Afghanistan when they were taken 

Details of the exchange including where it took place and what US forces gave in return have not been released. 

Just last week, a video of the couple and two of their children that was filmed in January 2016 emerged for the first time.

It showed Coleman dressed in a headscarf sitting next to her husband and their children who were seen for the first time. The youngest, whose age is not known, had a pacifier in their mouth.

Since then, they are understood to have had a third child whose sex, name or age is unknown.  

Caitlan and Joshua appeared in another video in August 2016 

Caitlan Coleman and Joshua are seen above in a photograph taken before their kidnapping 

Coleman was pregnant with their first child when she was captured.  

The family’s current location, however, was unclear. And officials declined to say when the family planned to return to North America.

The U.S. has criticized Pakistan for failing to aggressively go after the Haqqanis.

A U.S. national security official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing operation, commended Pakistan for their assistance.

In 2014, Coleman pleaded with President Barack Obama to bring her and her husband home. 

At the time, she made reference to their one child. 

‘I am prisoner of the Taliban. I would ask that my family and my government do everything that they can to bring my husband, child and I to safety and freedom,’ the 28-year-old says in the other recording, talking into a wobbly camera while seated beside her husband, whose beard is long and untrimmed,’ she said. 

Joshua appeared gaunt and drastically thinner than he had been when the pair were taken. 

He also appeared to have grown a long, unkempt beard.  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk