Kidnapping of Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman

In October 2012, Canadian-American couple Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman were kidnapped in Ghazni Province of Afghanistan while on a trip through Central and South Asia. They were held by the Haqqani network until October 2017 when they were rescued by Pakistani forces in Kurram Agency, Pakistan. During their captivity, Coleman gave birth to three children.

Background

Joshua Boyle was born in Breslau, Ontario, to Linda and Patrick J. Boyle.[1] He attended Rockway Mennonite Collegiate in Kitchener, Ontario, and graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2005.[2] Following the September 11 attacks, Boyle became interested in human rights issues and the case of Omar Khadr, a Canadian held in Guantanamo Bay. Boyle believed Khadr was innocent and spent several years acting as the spokesman for the Khadr family.[3] Through his work with Khadr, Boyle met and eventually married Omar's sister Zaynab in 2009,[4] but they divorced in 2010.[1]

Caitlan Coleman was born in Stewartstown, Pennsylvania.[5]

Boyle and Coleman met online as teenagers as mutual fans of the Star Wars franchise and were married in 2011.[4] After their marriage, they spent time travelling in Central America before moving to Perth-Andover, New Brunswick, where Boyle worked as a municipal clerk.[6] In July 2012, the two began travelling through Russia and Central Asia, planning on travelling through the "safe '-stans".[7] For unknown reasons, the couple crossed into Afghanistan in October;[1][4] Boyle has stated it was to help "ordinary villagers",[7] while other accounts indicate a more spontaneous decision.[1]

Kidnapping

On October 8, 2012, Boyle sent an email to his parents saying that he and Coleman were in an "unsafe" part of Afghanistan.[7] Soon after, the pair were captured by members of the Haqqani network. Coleman was pregnant at the time of their capture.[8] The first ransom video of the couple was released in early 2013. The Haqqani network demanded the release of prisoners in exchange for the release of Boyle and Coleman.[9] It was also revealed that Coleman had given birth to her child, a boy.[7]

Over the course of their five-year captivity, Coleman gave birth to a girl and a second boy, and suffered a miscarriage of a second girl. Coleman and Boyle claim that the miscarriage was intentionally caused by their captors,[10] but the Taliban claims it occurred naturally.[5] The two would regularly be separated and beaten,[7] and Coleman claims that she was raped.[10] She also charges Boyle with cruelty saying he "was just like my captors."[11] The family would regularly be transported between Afghanistan and Pakistan.[10]

Rescue

In September 2017, United States intelligence received information that a vehicle which was believed to be carrying Caitlan Coleman and her children was traveling to Pakistan from Afghanistan. SEAL Team Six was tasked with preparing an extraction, but concerns about the accuracy of the information and the logistics of an assault deterred the US from taking action.[12] The information about the suspicious vehicle was passed to the Pakistani government with a request to oversee a rescue operation.[12]

On October 11, 2017, Pakistani troops encountered the vehicle carrying the family in the Kurram Valley, Pakistan, shooting out the tires and rescuing them. The family was being held in the locked trunk. In the resulting shootout, some of the captors were killed while others managed to flee.[13][14] Boyle was also injured by a shrapnel.[15] The family was then transported to Islamabad before travelling back to United States via the United Kingdom.[16]

Aftermath

After their rescue, the family stayed with Boyle's parents in Smiths Falls, Ontario, before moving to Ottawa. In December 2017, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the family after Boyle requested a meeting.[5]

Criminal charges

In January 2018, Boyle was charged with numerous crimes including assault, sexual assault, assault causing bodily harm, and unlawful confinement, relating to incidents that allegedly occurred after the family was freed from captivity by Pakistani security forces and returned to Canada in October 2017. There are two alleged victims but their identities are protected by a publication ban. The charges have not been heard in court. In June 2018, Boyle was released on bail under the condition that he wear a GPS monitor and live at his parents' house in Smiths Falls, Ontario.[17]

Coleman attributed Boyle's actions to their captivity, stating, "I can't speak about the specific charges, but I can say that ultimately it is the strain and trauma he was forced to endure for so many years and the effects that had on his mental state that is most culpable for this."[18]

Boyle faced 19 charges, relating to two victims, being Coleman and another who was not identified; 17 of the charges relate to Coleman who agreed to lift the publication ban as to her identity as one of the victims. The charges included sexual assault, uttering a threat to cause death, assault with a weapon, unlawful confinement, and administering a noxious substance. All relate to incidents alleged to have occurred between October 14 and December 30, 2017. Boyle pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. The trial commenced on March 25, 2019, with judge alone to decide on a verdict. Boyle's lawyer told the court that Coleman's reliability and credibility would be "vigorously challenged".[19][20]

The trial concluded in October 2019 and on December 18, Boyle was cleared of all charges.[21] The judge's comments indicated a lack of credibility on both sides and he said the limited evidence failed to prove that criminal offences had occurred, beyond a reasonable doubt. Boyle's lawyer told the news media that his client would now take steps to gain access to the children and that his long-term goal was custody.[22]

Child custody battle

Records of the Ontario Superior Court child custody case, unsealed in early September 2018, indicate that Coleman alleged that Boyle had physically and emotionally abused her during their captivity. According to Coleman, Boyle had physically struck her, once breaking a cheekbone, and depicted her as "an enemy in his life," accusing her of betrayal to the guards. Boyle's own affidavit denied the allegations and accused Coleman of child neglect due to mental health issues during the captivity, requiring him to be the primary caregiver. The case is pending, and the allegations have not been heard in court.[23][24]

Since June 23, 2018, Coleman has had temporary sole custody; she relocated to Pennsylvania by mid-summer with the children. Boyle tried to prevent that move, but his request was denied by the court[25] and Justice Tracy Engelking issued a restraining order to prevent him from contacting or approaching Coleman or the children.[24]

References
  1. Shephard, Michelle (September 16, 2016). "Delivering his own son by flashlight: Kidnapped Canadian's correspondence gives glimpse of life in captivity". Toronto Star.
  2. Mercer, Greg (October 13, 2017). "Freed man was raised in Region". The Record. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  3. Miller, Jacquie; Ottawa Citizen (October 12, 2017). "Joshua Boyle: He's perhaps best known for his link to Khadr family". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  4. Shephard, Michelle; McDiarmid, Jessica (December 31, 2012). "Khadr's Canadian ex-husband and new wife missing in Afghanistan". Toronto Star.
  5. Laucius, Joanne (January 3, 2018). "Facts about former Afghanistan hostage Joshua Boyle". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  6. Mercer, Greg (October 18, 2017). "Released from Afghanistan, Joshua Boyle says Breslau was on his mind". TheRecord.com. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  7. Murphy, Jessica (October 21, 2017). "The story behind this couple's kidnapping". BBC News. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  8. Bergen, Peter (June 24, 2015). "How to free American hostages". CNN.
  9. "Canada's forgotten child hostages". Toronto Star. May 16, 2017.
  10. Barker, Memphis (October 25, 2017). "US woman held hostage by Taliban group in Pakistan reveals truth behind her rescue". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  11. Leyland Cecco (March 29, 2019). "US woman kidnapped in Afghanistan says husband's abuse was just like captors'". The Guardian.
  12. Quinn, Ben; Janjua, Haroon (October 14, 2017). "Joshua Boyle: Canadian held in Afghanistan says his child was killed in captivity". The Guardian.
  13. Shephard, Michelle (October 14, 2017). "After a lifetime in captivity, the children of Joshua Boyle and Caitlan Coleman begin to heal". The Star.
  14. Erickson, Amanda (October 13, 2017). "Inside American Caitlan Coleman's five-year ordeal as a Taliban prisoner". Washington Post. A shootout ensued, and all five kidnappers were killed.
  15. Kassam, Ashifa; Janjua, Haroon (October 12, 2017). "Canadian American family rescued after five years as captives in Afghanistan". the Guardian. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  16. Kube, Courtney; Khan, Wajahat S.; Bruton, F. Brinley; Nichols, Hans (October 12, 2017). "U.S. hostage heads to U.K. after husband refuses flight to U.S." NBC News. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  17. The Canadian Press (July 25, 2018). "Wife of former hostage Joshua Boyle returns to U.S. with children: report". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  18. Nease, Kristy (March 25, 2019). "Joshua Boyle's trial opens with estranged spouse electing to lift publication ban". cbc.ca. CBC. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  19. Duffy, Andrew (March 25, 2019). "Credibility of estranged wife at centre of Joshua Boyle assault trial". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved March 26, 2019. In her opening statement, Cunningham said the trial will hear a 911 phone recording of Boyle from the night of Dec. 30, 2017, along with testimony from two officers who responded to that emergency call. It also planned to hear from a next-door neighbour, and from a Global Affairs Canada official who accompanied the couple on a return flight from Afghanistan after they were freed from five years of captivity.
  20. Cecco, Leyland (December 19, 2019). "Ex-Taliban hostage cleared of all charges in sexual assault trial". The Guardian. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  21. Harris, Kathleen (December 18, 2019). "Ex-Taliban hostage cleared of all charges in sexual assault trial". cbc.ca. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  22. Lapin, Tamar (September 5, 2018). "Taliban hostage says husband also abused her in captivity". New York Post. New York. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  23. Duffy, Andrew (September 4, 2018). "Ex-hostage American Caitlan Coleman accuses Canadian husband Joshua Boyle of abuse, in court documents". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  24. The Canadian Press (September 5, 2018). "Former hostages Joshua Boyle, Caitlan Coleman in custody battle". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
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