Taliban faction frees American woman, husband, and children after 5 years

Freed US hostages.
(Image credit: AP Photo/Bill Gorman, File)

A Taliban affiliate has freed an American woman, her three children, and her Canadian husband after the family spent five years as hostages, The New York Times reports. "In 2012, Caitlan Coleman, an American citizen, and her husband, Joshua Boyle, a Canadian citizen, were taken captive and held hostage by the Haqqani network," the White House said in a statement Thursday. "Ms. Coleman gave birth to the couple's three children while they were in captivity. Yesterday, the United States government, working in conjunction with the Government of Pakistan, secured the release of the Boyle-Coleman family from captivity in Pakistan."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.