An American couple was rescued five years after they were abducted while in Afghanistan on a backpacking trip. The [couple had three children]https://www.nowtolove.com.au/parenting/expert-advice/breastfeeding-tips-39716|target=”_blank”) while in captivity, a difficult concept to wrap your head around.
Joshua Boyle and his then-pregnant wife Caitlan Coleman were abducted in 2013, while reportedly going to help villagers “who live deep inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan” on a backpacking trip.
His wife gave birth while in captivity, however, Joshua Boyle has told media that their first baby was killed by the Taliban-linked Haqqani network which abducted the couple. He also reveals his wife was raped by multiple times over the five years the couple was in captivity.
Joshua Boyle and wife Caitlan Coleman
Speaking to the Associated Press in an email Boyle explained that he and his wife had always wanted a big family.
“We’re sitting as hostages with a lot of time on our hands. We always wanted as many as possible, and we didn’t want to waste time. Cait’s in her 30s, the clock is ticking.”
“Honestly we’ve always planned to have a family of 5, 10, 12 children … We’re Irish, haha,” Boyle wrote.
To be honest, this leaves us with more questions than it answers.
Boyle gave some insight into the conditions the family faced, explaining that they were moved to three different prisons over the five years. Two of the three were described as violent and barbaric, with one considered slightly more “comfortable”.
The couple’s children are now 4, 2 and “somewhere around six months.”
We can not even imagine what this family has been through and what it must have been like to live like that for five years. No doubt more of their story will come to light soon.
The family are currently working on creating a “real home” in Canada.
