Taliban Releases Video Showing Kidnapped U.S.-Canadian Couple and their children - Polidicks

[quote]An American woman being held hostage with her Canadian husband and two children — both born in captivity — pleaded with the American and Canadian governments for help in a newly released Taliban propaganda video. The video appeared to show Caitlan Coleman and her husband Joshua Boyle, [b]who were kidnapped while hiking in Afghanistan in late 2012.[/b] Coleman, who appears to be reading from a script, called their captivity "the Kafkaesque nightmare in which we find ourselves" and asks that governments on both sides intervene to work towards their release. She says the video was taken on Dec. 3. She addressed both President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump directly in the video. To Obama, she said, "Please don't become the next Jimmy Carter. Just give the offenders something so they and you can save face and we can leave the region permanently." Then, addressing Trump, she said, "We ask that you are merciful to their people and God willing they will release us." NBC News cannot verify the circumstances under which the Taliban video was made and there is a good chance the couple was forced to say things from a script prepared by their captors. Two young children appear in the video with Coleman and Boyle, and Coleman has told her family that she gave birth to two children in captivity, according to the Associated Press. A senior Taliban member told NBC News Coleman was pregnant when she was first kidnapped. [b]"When we captured the couple in 2013 in Afghanistan's Wardag area, the woman was pregnant and later delivered another son when they had converted to Islam in our custody", said one senior Taliban member holding the couple on condition of anonymity.[/b][/quote] Video in the source [url]http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/taliban-releases-propaganda-video-showing-kidnapped-u-s-canadian-couple-n698506[/url] I gotta say, hiking in Afghanistan just sounds quite retarded. On top of being pregnant.

[QUOTE=Tudd;51560681] I gotta say, hiking in Afghanistan just sounds quite retarded. On top of being pregnant.[/QUOTE] Was thinking the exact same thing. Not that they deserved what is happening, but it was completely avoidable using basic common sense. I mean, Afghanistan was still very much at war, and they decided to go hiking there, WHILE PREGNANT? Can't say I have any sympathy. Hopefully the US gov't doesn't have to trade back any bad guys over this.

Hoo, boy, what a tough decision to make. A family of an American and a Canadian with 2 kids are being held hostage and are either going to die or be rescued. A raid could be in order, but the chance of that is highly risky. One wrong move, and the hostages would be killed. If we say, gave back some of their men, the family have a more likely chance to being rescued, but I wouldn't count on it. As much as I hate giving up things to other people's advantage, if the people's life depend on it, especially civilians, I believe it is justified to do so. But I am ultimately merciful and that would be a President's flaw, so I'd have no matter on saying such a thing.

:snip:

So many places to hike in North America, they chose Afghanistan

[QUOTE=Mr.Brown;51560899]So many places to hike in North America, they chose Afghanistan[/QUOTE] I don't know man, I hear the middle of death valley is pretty great to get lost in pretty much the most romantic get away out there

Sounds like they're just taking the govt for a ride if they had more children there and are just asking for the govt to bend at will for the Taliban

[QUOTE=Mitsudigi;51560707]Was thinking the exact same thing. Not that they deserved what is happening, but it was completely avoidable using basic common sense. I mean, Afghanistan was still very much at war, and they decided to go hiking there, WHILE PREGNANT? [B]Can't say I have any sympathy.[/B] Hopefully the US gov't doesn't have to trade back any bad guys over this.[/QUOTE] What a cold thing to say. Sure there was a lapse in risk assessment, but as you say they didn't deserve the years of terrible fate they received for it. Have some sympathy.

Is it going to be one of those threads again where people start focusing on the error of the victims and not the monstrosity of the attackers? Obviously I'm not asking people to be up in arms about this, but I think we should focus on the things that actually matter.

[QUOTE=ROFLBURGER;51560977]Is it going to be one of those threads again where people start focusing on the error of the victims and not the monstrosity of the attackers?[/QUOTE] To be honest, they're not wrong on saying that the victims made a huge error on which lead to this. But it's nonetheless horrifying that this is what's happening to them. I will argue that it should still be our (or to be specific, the President's, the president elect's, and the Canadian Prime Minister's) responsibility to saving them despite it. They are men of [I]their[/I] people. They should do their best to save [I]their[/I] people.

[QUOTE=ROFLBURGER;51560977]Is it going to be one of those threads again where people start focusing on the error of the victims and not the monstrosity of the attackers? Obviously I'm not asking people to be up in arms about this, but I think we should focus on the things that actually matter.[/QUOTE] You can point out they were being stupid without saying they deserved it.

[QUOTE=Tasm;51560917]Sounds like they're just taking the govt for a ride if they had more children there and are just asking for the govt to bend at will for the Taliban[/QUOTE] or their captors (who claim they've converted their hostages to islam) coerced them into having another child to add to the hostage count

Why are you guys are calling a girl who wanted to dress like she wanted a retard? Oh, wrong thread I guess.

Don't know if it is just me but the family doesn't seem in distress and quite well kept, I can imagine that the conditions aren't too terrible and are maybe forced into saying that she was violated by them. Maybe optimistic though as they could have simply dressed them and cleaned them up before footage to make them look more humane?

[QUOTE=Vlevs;51560930]What a cold thing to say. Sure there was a lapse in risk assessment, but as you say they didn't deserve the years of terrible fate they received for it. Have some sympathy.[/QUOTE] No I won't. They chose to hike in a politically unstable region that hates the U.S. and its affiliates (perhaps rightly so). I can forgive misguided actions and decisions that are made in Ignorance however what got these folks into their predicament was cut and dry willful stupidity. Also as amoral is it might seem, I do hope the U.S. response is similar to the KGB's response to Beirut. I want these taffers to know their an organized band of thugs playing ball with a super power.

[QUOTE=Vlevs;51560930]What a cold thing to say. Sure there was a lapse in risk assessment, but as you say they didn't deserve the years of terrible fate they received for it. Have some sympathy.[/QUOTE] Sympathy? For people who go on a pleasure trip to a country at war with their own? Do you not see how ridiculous that is. I think we all know how Afghani's feel about westerners after over a decade of war. Now we might be releasing some really bad people in exchange for them because they practically handed themselves to the terrorists. So no, I don't have sympathy. Totally avoidable situation and they should of known there was danger there.

[QUOTE=Shirt.;51561028]No I won't. They chose to hike in a politically unstable region that hates the U.S. and its affiliates (perhaps rightly so). I can forgive misguided actions and decisions that are made in Ignorance however what got these folks into their predicament was cut and dry willful stupidity. Also as amoral is it might seem, I do hope the U.S. response is similar to the KGB's response to Beirut. I want these taffers to know their an organized band of thugs playing ball with a super power.[/quote] So what did the KGB... [quote]The Jerusalem Post said the Soviet secret police last year secured the release of three kidnaped Soviet diplomats in Beirut by castrating a relative of a radical Lebanese Shia Muslim leader, sending him the severed organs and then shooting the relative in the head.[/quote] [url]http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-07/news/mn-13892_1_soviets[/url] That sounds less like dealing with a super power and more like a drug cartel. [QUOTE=Mitsudigi;51561057]Sympathy? For people who go on a pleasure trip to a country at war with their own? Do you not see how ridiculous that is. I think we all know how Afghani's feel about westerners after over a decade of war. Now we might be releasing some really bad people in exchange for them because they practically handed themselves to the terrorists. So no, I don't have sympathy. Totally avoidable situation and they should of known there was danger there.[/QUOTE] I do find it creepy when people can just turn off all empathy when they encounter something they don't apporive of. Do accidents in other moderately dangerous activities invoke a similar response? At least there's something stronger than hatred for islamist terrorism - the love for victim blaming and schadenfreude.

[QUOTE=Mitsudigi;51561057]Sympathy? For people who go on a pleasure trip to a country at war with their own? Do you not see how ridiculous that is. I think we all know how Afghani's feel about westerners after over a decade of war. Now we might be releasing some really bad people in exchange for them because they practically handed themselves to the terrorists. So no, I don't have sympathy. Totally avoidable situation and they should of known there was danger there.[/QUOTE] You now you can do both, recognize that they should've been more careful and still show some empathy.

Made a fucktarded decision and now the resources need to be spent to save them. gj

After seeing so many genuinely good people I care about have their lives ruined or lost from freak accidents or things otherwise out of their control, these people having gone out of their way to put themselves and their children in danger simply pisses me off. Why the fuck would any sane person leave their safe and cushy country to go to some 3rd world hell hole with citizens that hate them because their home country is INVADING theirs. I think if anyone can have empathy for these people, they may need to experience a little more of life and loss so they can see just how lucky we are to have the safety and security we have living in USA/CA. The world is truly a scary place and going frolicking in a war zone for some selfies you can post on Facebook is a fucking stupid thing to do no matter how you look at it. Not even sure why they even allowed westerners to go to Afghanistan as tourists. Doubt this is the first time this has happened either.

Where have these people been the last 4 years? i want to hear their stories. [editline]21st December 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Mitsudigi;51561344]After seeing so many genuinely good people I care about have their lives ruined or lost from freak accidents or things otherwise out of their control, these people having gone out of their way to put themselves and their children in danger simply pisses me off. Why the fuck would any sane person leave their safe and cushy country to go to some 3rd world hell hole with citizens that hate them because their home country is INVADING theirs. I think if anyone can have empathy for these people, they may need to experience a little more of life and loss so they can see just how lucky we are to have the safety and security we have living in USA/CA. The world is truly a scary place and going frolicking in a war zone for some selfies you can post on Facebook is a fucking stupid thing to do no matter how you look at it. Not even sure why they even allowed westerners to go to Afghanistan as tourists. Doubt this is the first time this has happened either.[/QUOTE] Stepping outside every day puts your life in danger... before you go 'but thats not the same as hiking in Afghanistan' please point me to the exact border where it becomes too dangerous. These people lived, it ended up horrible but either way they went out there and did things with their lives... some people here spend their entire life no further then 100km radius from where they were born.

[quote]Then, addressing Trump, she said, "We ask that you are merciful to their people and God willing they will release us."[/quote] I'm assuming she didn't have much free will over what to say. So really sounds like Taliban are getting a lil afraid over Trump turning the sand to glass. [editline]21st December 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Blizzerd;51561347]Where have these people been the last 4 years? i want to hear their stories. [editline]21st December 2016[/editline] Stepping outside every day puts your life in danger... before you go 'but thats not the same as hiking in Afghanistan' please point me to the exact border where it becomes too dangerous. These people lived, it ended up horrible but either way they went out there and did things with their lives... some people here spend their entire life no further then 100km radius from where they were born.[/QUOTE] Yeah and they irresponsibly subjected their unborn (now born) child to a life of slavery, torture, indoctrination, etc. I won't point you to an exact border because that's fucking as silly as the hikers. Its on a case by case basis obviously. I can tell you the border is quite a bit before hiking through war torn foreign countries that have people that potentially highly despise your culture and country.

I can't believe they didn't understand how dangerous this country is for westerners. Such incredible naivety.

[QUOTE=Blizzerd;51561347] Stepping outside every day puts your life in danger... before you go 'but thats not the same as hiking in Afghanistan' please [B]point me to the exact border where it becomes too dangerous.[/B] [/QUOTE] Actually that was pretty damn [I]easy[/I]. [img]http://i.imgur.com/gvxcTmB.png[/img]

Would you have sympathy for a pregnant couple with children going on a family hike around Aleppo?

[QUOTE=Advisor;51561425]Would you have sympathy for a pregnant couple with children going on a family hike around Aleppo?[/QUOTE] Yes. Like I have sympathy for everyone who is in Aleppo for whatever reason.

[QUOTE=Advisor;51561425]Would you have sympathy for a pregnant couple with children going on a family hike around Aleppo?[/QUOTE] Not if they are from any country other than Syria. Who are you even asking? [editline]21st December 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Vlevs;51561434]Yes. Like I have sympathy for everyone who is in Aleppo for whatever reason.[/QUOTE] So if I willingly fly to Aleppo right now. Leave my comfortable family home despite the wishes of friends and family. I take a nice hike around Aleppo and am kidnapped, you will feel sympathy for me? You are a really sympathetic dude.

[QUOTE=Quark:;51561000]or their captors (who claim they've converted their hostages to islam) coerced them into having another child to add to the hostage count[/QUOTE] I'd rather guess they raped her

[QUOTE=Araknid;51561341]Made a fucktarded decision and now the resources need to be spent to save them. gj[/QUOTE] this is not a smoker/drinker/extreme sports thread :smug: [editline]21st December 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=!LORD M!;51561367]I can't believe they didn't understand how dangerous this country is for westerners. Such incredible naivety.[/QUOTE] There is hints that they knew EXACTLY what they were getting into. They are not your average naive white western couple pays for adventure tourists [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Boyle[/url] [quote]Joshua Boyle is a Canadian hostage held by the Taliban.[1][2] He is married to Caitlin Coleman[2] having been married to Zaynab Khadr, sister of Omar Khadr.[3][/quote] [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaynab_Khadr[/url] [quote]Zaynab Khadr (in Arabic زينب خضر) (born 1979) is the eldest daughter and first child of Ahmed Khadr, a prominent Egyptian-Canadian citizen noted for charitable work among Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and suspected of being a terrorist and al-Qaeda member. [/quote]

[QUOTE=MadPro119;51561436]So if I willingly fly to Aleppo right now. Leave my comfortable family home despite the wishes of friends and family. I take a nice hike around Aleppo and am kidnapped, you will feel sympathy for me? You are a really sympathetic dude.[/QUOTE] Sure. Thanks, man!