Haqqani network may be holding the hostage near the Pak-Afghan border
An American hostage has secretly been held in captivity in the borderlands of Afghanistan and Pakistan for more than a year, it has been claimed.
According to reports, allies of the Taliban captured the US citizen and have been holding him in the war-torn region for months.
A foreign news outlet revealed the existence of the man on Tuesday, but withheld details of his identity for fear he could be harmed.
He is said to be a captive of the Haqqani network, who also captured Bowe Bergdahl, a US soldier whom the Obama administration brought back to America in exchange for five Taliban prisoners.
Haqqani fighters are also thought to be holding the family of US citizen Caitlin Coleman. She was captured while travelling in Afghanistan with her Canadian husband Joshua Boyle while pregnant. Coleman, who was pregnant with Boyle’s child at the time, is believed to have given birth in captivity.
The foreign media outlet revealed the existence of the new hostage after a Republican congressman obliquely referred to him in a public criticism of the White House’s efforts to recover hostages.
Rep Duncan Hunter of California wrote a public letter which said ‘there are still Americans in captivity in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region’ a reference to Coleman and the unnamed hostage.
The media outlet says it knew about the man before, but had agreed not to reveal his existence after requests from his family, law enforcement and White House officials.
The Haqqani network is known to negotiate over their hostages, as the much-criticised Bergdahl swap shows.
Bergdahl, who is facing a court marshal over claims over desertion, was swapped for five mid-level Taliban officials who had been held in Guantanamo Bay.
The media outlet claimed an unnamed former Afghan official as saying that the mystery captive is alive and in good health, but nothing is known about his location and the status of any efforts to bring him back.
