A Taliban-linked group has released an American hostage along with her Canadian husband and their three children, according to officials.
Caitlan Coleman, who is originally from Pennsylvania, and Joshua Boyle were kidnapped by the militants while hiking in Afghanistan in late 2012.
Coleman was pregnant when she was captured. The couple had three children while in being held.
The five family members were in the custody of officials from the U.S. Embassy in neighboring Pakistan, according to a U.S. official.
The family had been held by the Haqqani network, whose leader is the deputy head of the Afghan Taliban. The Haqqanis also held Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five years. The Afghan Taliban obtained five top commanders in exchange for the U.S. soldier in 2014.
Pakistan's military confirmed the news in a statement.
The Pakistani Army “recovered five Western hostages including one Canadian, his U.S. national wife and their three children from terrorist custody through an intelligence-based operation by Pakistan troops and intelligence agencies,” according to the statement.
Coleman and her husband had been held for five years and one day, according to the U.S. official.
The Pakistani statement said the family had been held in Afghanistan but that "U.S. intelligence agencies has been tracking them" and shared that they had crossed the border on Wednesday.
It added: "The operation by Pakistani forces, based on actionable intelligence from U.S. authorities, was successful; all hostages were recovered safe and sound."
The Pentagon referred all questions to the State Department.
The U.S. has long criticized Pakistan for not aggressively going after the Haqqani network, which is considered part of the Taliban. Pakistan rejects accusations that it shelters the militants.
The Haqqani network waged war on NATO forces in Afghanistan and have been blamed for many of the more than 2,000 U.S. military deaths there.
Due to their wealth and deep links to local tribes and, one Western diplomat dubbed the Haqqanis "the Kennedys of the Taliban movement."
NBC news
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