Hostage fam back in Canada

A FAMILY held hostage by the Taliban-linked extremist Haqqani network in Afghanistan has returned to Canada where they will undergo full medical exams.

Canadian Joshua Boyle, his American wife Caitlan Coleman and their three young children landed at Toronto’s airport Friday night.

Boyle told reporters that Coleman was pregnant when they were captured five years ago while backpacking in Afghanistan.

The Haqqani network killed his newborn daughter and raped his wife during their years in captivity, he said. “The stupidity and evil of the Haqqani network’s kidnapping of a pilgrim and his heavily pregnant wife engaged in helping ordinary villagers in Talibancontrolled regions . . . was eclipsed only by the stupidity and evil of authorizing the murder of my infant daughter,” Boyle said.

The family was rescued Wednesday on a Pakistani-led raid based on U.S. intelligence.

Boyle said his captors authorized a guard to rape his wife, and is asking the Afghan government to bring them to justice. “God willing, this litany of stupidity will be the epitaph of the Haqqani network,” he said.

The family returned to Boyle’s parents’ home in Smith Falls, Ontario. In an email to the Associated Press Boyle (with son, below) said it was “the first true ‘home’ that the children have ever known — after they spent most of Friday asking if each subsequent airport was our new house hopefully.”

Boyle said he and his wife and their three surviving children — all born in captivity — will undergo full medical work-ups in the coming days. He said his children were adjusting well after growing up with “pagan” bandits.

“These are children who three days ago they did not know what a toilet looks like. They used a bucket,” Boyle said in a video recorded after the rescue. “Three days ago they did not know what a light is ... now they are seeing houses, they are seeing food, they are seeing gifts, all of this,” he said.