What Should US Do about These Hostages?

Butterfly

Butterfly

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Albuquerque, New Mexico USA
CNN today ran a story about an American woman and her Canadian husband who are being held by terrorists in Afghanistan. Two sons were born to them in captivity, and are being held also. A video from them has been released.

"Coleman and Boyle were kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012 while on a backpacking trip.


In the video, Coleman (the American) addresses President Barack Obama, saying, "Your legacy on leaving office is probably important to you," and she urges him to act to secure her family's release.


Coleman also addresses the President-elect, saying that the Haqqanis "are not going to simply release our family easily, because it is correct. They want money, power and friends. ... We are told there are Afghans who are prisoners in Kabul that these men care about."


This is a reference to Anas Haqqani, the brother of the head of the Haqqani terrorist organization, who is in an Afghan prison. Haqqani was arrested in 2014, and an Afghan court convicted him of raising money for the group in August. The Haqqanis have threatened to kill Coleman and Boyle if the Afghan government carries out the death sentence it has imposed on Anas Haqqani.

My question is, what do you think the US should do about these hostages? Intercede and cause the release of a terrorist and give the terrorists the "power, money, friends" they want? Do nothing and risk the death of the hostages? Try a rescue and risk the lives of American soldiers? What do you think is the right thing to do??
 

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It's a hard call.
The policy of not paying ransom to release hostages seems harsh but in the end it results in less people being kidnapped for money.

Would the Kabul government agree to exchange this family for some of their prisoners? Probably not.
I don't think Obama has much leverage here.
 

These things are very tough to figure out. From what I have been able to read travel warnings and restrictions were in place for United States citizens at the time they were kidnapped. Even if that was not the case I don't think a woman who is seven months pregnant should have been on a hiking holiday in that part of the world at that time.

I also think it is strange that they are appealing to the United States government and not to the Canadian government. Don't get me wrong I do feel bad for them and the children I'm just not sure how many more lives we should put in harms way trying to rescue them or by negotiating to pay for their release. Very difficult situation and more disturbing at this time of year.
 
Butterfly-- there is probably a lot of information the government has about this situation that we don't know about. Awfully sad that two young children are involved now. They may be moving them around making it hard to locate and rescue them. Hope both governments (US and Canada) continue to work on a solution to save this young family.
 
Don M. said:
The question I would have is....Why would anyone be Stupid enough to go backpacking in Afghanistan???
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Hard to imagine anyone doing that, I agree. People do foolish things and in doing so, endanger the lives of others. You have to wonder what they were doing there in the first place. It doesn't change the situation though. Those in the know have to weigh the options, I suppose.
 
Hopefully backdoor off the record negotiations are in progress. What ever administration that gets them released will probably go through politically correct gymnastics to say they didn't pay a ransom or negotiate with terrorists.

Being in Afghanistan if they get actionable intelligence they're are enough forces near by they could mount a rescue fairly quick.
 
Aunt Bea said:
These things are very tough to figure out. From what I have been able to read travel warnings and restrictions were in place for United States citizens at the time they were kidnapped. Even if that was not the case I don't think a woman who is seven months pregnant should have been on a hiking holiday in that part of the world at that time. I also think it is strange that they are appealing to the United States government and not to the Canadian government. Don't get me wrong I do feel bad for them and the children I'm just not sure how many more lives we should put in harms way trying to rescue them or by negotiating to pay for their release. Very difficult situation and more disturbing at this time of year.
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I agree. They did an incredibly stupid thing by being out there in the first place.
 
Warrigal said:
It's a hard call.
The policy of not paying ransom to release hostages seems harsh but in the end it results in less people being kidnapped for money.

Would the Kabul government agree to exchange this family for some of their prisoners? Probably not.
I don't think Obama has much leverage here.
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I strongly agree that it is bad policy to negotiate with terrorists, because I believe it only encourages more hostage taking. And I think it would be unwise to ask Afghanistan to release a convicted terrorist.
 
Butterfly said:
I agree. They did an incredibly stupid thing by being out there in the first place.
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I think much the same about solo sailors in the Southern Ocean who get into trouble and need to be rescued.
It is incredibly difficult to mount a rescue in sub Antarctic waters.

If you fall into the hands of the Taliban you might just as well be on a stricken boat near the South Pole.
 
First rule of dealing with hostages - Assume they are dead from the first moment you become aware of the situation. Proceed from this premise.

When my son was a mercenary fighting Saddam he was well aware of my view on this.
 
I have to agree with aeron. Why any person,especially a westerner would travel to the ME,completely escapes me. Sorry mainly that two children are trapped by their parents idiotic decisions. If they are fated to become just 4 more victims of this lunatic struggle so be it. There is absolutely no reason to risk the precious life of our service members to put out a fire the "victims" lit.

I also feel the same about publicly funded rescues from mountains,back country hikes and the lot.
 
Anyone who takes his pregnant wife to a war zone to "backpack" is deserving of the consequences of such a bad decision.
Any lady who is seven months pregnant and agrees to go backpacking in a war zone is not only endangering herself, but her unborn child. She is deserving of the consequences of such a bad decision.
Any couple who, when having to live with the consequences of making such a bad decision their baby is born in captivity, deserves the consequences of such a decision.
Any couple who, having one baby whose life they have endangered by making a foolish decision... and has another baby in those same conditions... is deserving of the consequences of such a decision.

I have zero tolerance for and empathy for this couple. What they are enduring is due to their own selfishness and dangerously poor decision making. I do feel extremely bad for the two children. Those two children are now going to be subject to cruelty and even death due to the selfishness of their parents.

If I were "King"... I would make contact with the Taliban and offer dollars for the kids. Bring the kids out of that environment and place them in a foster home in the U.S. or Canada. Leave the couple there to deal with their own issues.

Now... this couple says they have been held hostage for two years. All of a sudden, they are appealing to the U.S. to negotiate their release. Something about this story stinks!! Why haven't the appeals been heard sooner? Have they been with the Taliban at their own choosing, "radicalized"? Is this simply a means of obtaining release of some terrorist prisoners and then have this radicalized couple kill innocents when they are returned to the U.S. or Canada? We don't know the whole story and are merely getting this one snippet that is designed to impact our sympathies. Hmmmmm.......
 
Grumpy Ol' Man said:
Anyone who takes his pregnant wife to a war zone to "backpack" is deserving of the consequences of such a bad decision.
Any lady who is seven months pregnant and agrees to go backpacking in a war zone is not only endangering herself, but her unborn child. She is deserving of the consequences of such a bad decision.
Any couple who, when having to live with the consequences of making such a bad decision their baby is born in captivity, deserves the consequences of such a decision.
Any couple who, having one baby whose life they have endangered by making a foolish decision... and has another baby in those same conditions... is deserving of the consequences of such a decision.

I have zero tolerance for and empathy for this couple. What they are enduring is due to their own selfishness and dangerously poor decision making. I do feel extremely bad for the two children. Those two children are now going to be subject to cruelty and even death due to the selfishness of their parents.

If I were "King"... I would make contact with the Taliban and offer dollars for the kids. Bring the kids out of that environment and place them in a foster home in the U.S. or Canada. Leave the couple there to deal with their own issues.

Now... this couple says they have been held hostage for two years. All of a sudden, they are appealing to the U.S. to negotiate their release. Something about this story stinks!! Why haven't the appeals been heard sooner? Have they been with the Taliban at their own choosing, "radicalized"? Is this simply a means of obtaining release of some terrorist prisoners and then have this radicalized couple kill innocents when they are returned to the U.S. or Canada? We don't know the whole story and are merely getting this one snippet that is designed to impact our sympathies. Hmmmmm.......
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I think it's more like 4 years, and from what I read from numerous sources, this is not a new story -- just a new video. They were kidnapped in 2012. The consensus is that the story is on the level (at least the part about being captured in 2012).

I agree with you about the incredible stupidity of doing what they did, and and I also agree that they assumed the risk when they did such a foolish thing. I do not think negotiations with terrorists gets us anywhere but more hostage taking.

I do not think the US should undertake a rescue mission and endanger US lives to rescue them, either. They're civilians who took a really stupid risk of their own volition, and it is different than if they were military or embassy personnel or some such.

I guess it sounds very harsh, but I don't think there's much we can or should do.
 
Carla said:
Butterfly-- there is probably a lot of information the government has about this situation that we don't know about. Awfully sad that two young children are involved now. They may be moving them around making it hard to locate and rescue them. Hope both governments (US and Canada) continue to work on a solution to save this young family.
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Unless it's charity work I'm thinking one of them is a spy or spying for someone. The US or Canada should do something for it's employees or contractors IF that's the case.
 
WhatInThe said:
Unless it's charity work I'm thinking one of them is a spy or spying for someone. The US or Canada should do something for it's employees or contractors IF that's the case.
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I absolutely disagree. So doing would result in all other such people becoming targets of substantially greater value than they already are.
 
aeron said:
I absolutely disagree. So doing would result in all other such people becoming targets of substantially greater value than they already are.
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Don't have to mount a rescue if they're working for the CIA or CSIS at least somekind of unofficial negotiation for the children and one parent. If for no other reason they should be debriefed. The problem unlike the communists during the Cold War in which a spy/prisoner exchange could be worked out I don't think that's the case with these militant groups.
 
I feel a certain amount of compassion for what is definitely a dangerous, frightening situation - and even more for their family; however if we have the freedom to make our own decisions, we have the ultimate responsibility for dealing with the consequences of those decisions - and that decision was the epitome of stupid and dangerous. Anyone who goes over there takes on the risk of capture and an unpleasant death
 

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