US-Canadian couple still in Pakistan after release from Taliban

WASHINGTON: An AmericanCanadian family that spent years in Taliban captivity was released following a Pakistani operation, officials said Thursday, but refused to immediately board a US-bound jet over concerns about the husband’s past links to a former Guantanamo Bay inmate.

US President Donald Trump hailed the couple’s freedom after five years held in the lawless Afghan-Pakistan border region by the notorious Haqqani network.

And he suggested the rescue was the result of his tougher diplomatic stance against Pakistan, which Washington has been pressuring over its support for some militant groups.

“The Pakistani government’s cooperation is a sign that it is honoring America’s wish that it do more to provide security in the region,” Trump told reporters.

“They worked very hard on this, and I believe they’re starting to respect the United States again,” he said, adding that ‘a lot’ of other nations were also showing greater deference to the US.

Defence Secretary Jim Mattis meanwhile praised the release as a positive step in often rocky US-Pakistan ties. — AFP