US official: American held in Afghanistan-Pakistan region

Official says man is being held by the Haqqani network


Associated Press December 04, 2015
PHOTO: AFP

An American civilian is being held by a Taliban-linked militant group in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, according to a United States official familiar with the matter.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss the situation, said the man is being held by the Haqqani network, a family-run militant group that operates along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The official would not discuss the man's identity or the circumstances of his capture. The incident was first reported Wednesday by the Daily Beast web site.

Operation under way to rescue abducted officials

The FBI, the White House and the man's wife have urged public officials and media organisations not to discuss the matter publicly, the official said.

The White House declined to comment, and the State Department declined to confirm the man's capture.

The department is "aware of reports that an American is being held," spokesman Mark Toner said, and "we reiterate our calls for US citizens being held hostage around the world to be released."

On Monday, Rep Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who has been critical of US hostage recovery efforts, wrote a letter to President Obama urging that he appoint a federal hostage coordinator.

In the letter, he noted that "there are still Americans in captivity in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region."

Abducted Pakistani workers freed in Afghanistan

The only other known American captive there is Caitlin Coleman, who was kidnapped along with her husband, Canadian Joshua Boyle, while traveling in Afghanistan in 2012.

American officials call the Haqqani network a terrorist organisation and have targeted its leaders with drone strikes. But the group also operates like a criminal network. Unlike the Islamic State, it is not in the habit of executing Western hostages, preferring to ransom them for cash.

This article originally appeared on The New York Times, a partner of The Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (2)

echoboom | 9 years ago | Reply what was he doing there..buying/selling drugs? NGO type spreading western creed? bribing and buying anti-islam secularists? another Ryamond Davis kind of terrorist?...many questions need to be answered. and US is pretending ignorance...that itself is something fishy... Westoxicated Pakis need not worry...their slavery is solid.
Pakistani | 9 years ago | Reply For Gods sake LET HIM GO. I am sick of these savages hurting civilians. Pakistanis need to WAKE UP and take a firm stand against this extremism. There are NO excuses left.
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