A Canadian who was captured and then held by the Taliban for five years has been released, it was confirmed on Monday.
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Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion announced on Monday that Colin Rutherford had been set free after being held by the Taliban since 2010.
Rutherford was on a private vacation in Afghanistan when he was seized by the militant group in November 2010.
He appeared dressed in a winter coat in a video apparently released by the Taliban in 2011, telling viewers his name, his father’s name, his age at the time of 26 and, when asked about religion, that he was “agnostic”.
On various social-media sites, Mr. Rutherford described himself as being “an average Eurasian” who had journeyed in to Pakistan and Afghanistan after studying math and physics and graduating in 2009.
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“Canada is very pleased that efforts undertaken to secure the release of Colin Rutherford from captivity have been successful”, Mr Dion said. “We look forward to Mr. Rutherford being able to return to Canada and reunited with his family and loved ones”.
Rutherford’s brother, Brian, called Colin’s release “incredible news”.
Dion said Canada will facilitate Rutherford’s return home. However, he did acknowledge the help of Qatar in securing the man’s release.
Whether any ransom was paid is an important question. But an al-Qaida letter to the original kidnappers, obtained by The Associated Press in northern Mali in 2013, said it received $1 million for the pair.
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In the email accompanying the release of the video, the Taliban threatened to put Rutherford on trial for espionage.
