The parents of the rescued Canadian citizen Joshua Boyle have thanked Pakistan Army for successfully rescuing their son, his American wife and their three children, in an operation conducted with the help of intelligence provided by the United States.
In a video message released on Friday, Patrick Boyle said, “We relate to the High Commissioner of Pakistan here in Canada our profound thanks for the courageous Pakistani soldiers who risked their lives and got all five out safely in the rescue [operation]”.
Joshua Boyle’s mother, Linda, on the other hand, described the moment they heard the news. She said they first received the news via a phone call at 1 am in the morning; 20 minutes after which they got speak to their son Joshua. “That’s the first time in five years we got to hear his voice,” Linda says. “He told us how much he and his children were looking forward to meeting their grandparents and that he would see me in a couple of days. So we are waiting for that.”
Pakistan Army on Thursday announced that it had recovered a family of five foreign hostages— including one Canadian national, his US national wife and their three children—from the custody of a terrorist outfit, “safe and sound” through an intelligence-based operation by Pakistan troops and intelligence agencies.
Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle had reportedly been abducted from Afghanistan in 2012 while on a backpacking trip. All of their three children were born in captivity.
US president Donald Trump lauded Pakistan’s efforts for the successful recovery of the kidnapped couple saying that their release was a “positive moment” for US relations with Pakistan.
Watch the full video here:
