Canadian citizen Joshua Boyle, his American wife Caitlan Coleman, and their three young children have been freed after being held for five years by a group linked to the Taliban. All three of their children were born while the family was held captive.
READ MORE: Canadian man, family released after held by Taliban-linked group for 5 years
Their case and their family’s struggle to have them rescued has made headlines in Canada and around the world for years.
Here’s a timeline of the events that led to their capture, and what has happened since then.
WATCH MORE: Ottawa pressed to free Taliban hostage Joshua Boyle
Summer 2012: Boyle and his pregnant wife leave for 5-nation trip
With the couple expecting their first child to arrive in December, they set out on a journey across Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and Afghanistan in the summer of 2012.
READ MORE: Who is Joshua Boyle?
Oct. 8, 2012: Last communication with family before capture
Coleman’s parents last heard from their son-in-law on Oct. 8, 2012. Boyle described the area they were in as an “unsafe” part of Afghanistan. He was communicating with them from an internet cafe.
2013: Couple appear in video
The couple appeared in two videos asking the U.S. government to free them from Taliban-linked group the Haqqani network. The videos were made public in June 2014 by the Coleman family.
November 2015: Second child is born
Coleman’s parents were informed that the couple had a second child while in captivity. They received the news through a letter in November 2015, and made it public months later. It’s unclear when the third child was born.
READ MORE: Family pleads for mercy for U.S.-Canadian couple held in Afghanistan
WATCH: Trudeau says Canadian hostage Joshua Boyle still on government radar
August 2016: Couple says family may be killed
A video released in August last year showed the couple warning that their captors would kill the entire family unless the government in Kabul ended its execution of Taliban prisoners.
READ MORE: Joshua Boyle, Canadian held hostage in Afghanistan, pleads for help in new video
December 2016: Another video surfaces on YouTube
In a YouTube video, Coleman and Boyle begged governments to reach a decision on their case so they could be freed.
READ MORE: Canada calls for release of Joshua Boyle, Canadian held in Afghanistan after new video appears
September 2017: Boyle’s aunt tells Global News Canada’s silence is deafening
After receiving very little information from the Canadian government, Kelli O’Brien started a social media campaign urging Canadian politicians to take action.
“I sent that to all the NDP hopefuls, the leader of the Conservative party, I sent it to our prime minister, just please say their names,” O’Brien said. “And I have not gotten a response from anybody.”
WATCH: Josh Boyle’s aunt describes him as ‘fierce defender of human rights’
Oct. 12, 2017: Pakistan’s military announces the family is freed
The Pakistani military said in a news release that the family has been released, and will be “repatriated” to their country.
The news was welcomed by both the Canadian and American governments.
WATCH: Trump thanks Pakistan for helping to free Canadian man, family
“We are greatly relieved that after being held hostage for five years, Joshua Boyle and his wife Caitlan Coleman, as well as their young children, have been released and are safe,” Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a news release.
“Canada has been actively engaged with the governments of the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan and we thank them for their efforts, which have resulted in the release of Joshua, Caitlan and their children.”
U.S. President Donald Trump released a similar statement, adding: “This is a positive moment for our country’s relationship with Pakistan. The Pakistani government’s co-operation is a sign that it is honouring America’s wishes for it to do more to provide security in the region.”
The family returned to Canada that week.
Dec. 21, 2017: Boyle family meets with prime minister
Photos of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meeting the Boyle-Coleman family are posted on the couple’s Twitter account.
READ MORE: Justin Trudeau meets with freed hostage Joshua Boyle, family in Ottawa
The tweets explain that the couple discussed the Haqqani network with Trudeau. The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the meeting in an email to Global News, but refused to offer more details citing the family’s privacy.
WATCH: Joshua Boyle plays with son at parents’ house
Jan. 2, 2018: News breaks that Boyle has been arrested
It’s revealed that Boyle was arrested and charged in Ottawa on New Year’s Day.
The charges against Boyle relate to several incidents that are alleged to have taken place in the months since he and his family were rescued from terrorists in Pakistan.
WATCH: Former terrorist hostage Joshua Boyle arrested on 15 criminal charges
The charges include eight counts of assault, two counts of sexual assault, one count of uttering a death threat, two counts of unlawful confinement, and one count of forcing an individual to ingest a noxious substance – in this case, the sleep-inducing anti-depressant trazodone.
Boyle also faces one count of misleading a peace officer by trying to convince them that another individual was suicidal in order to “divert suspicion from himself,” according to court documents.
READ MORE: Joshua Boyle appears in court after being charged
On Jan. 3, Boyle appeared in court via teleconference, with his lawyers asking for more time to come up with a plan for seeking bail.
— With files from the Associated Press, the Canadian Press, Global News reporter Amanda Connolly
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