“Family held hostage by Taliban freed after 5 years”

An American woman, her Canadian husband and their three children were freed on Wednesday, nearly five years after being taken hostage by the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network. The family was released as part of an operation conducted by Pakistani security forces. The couple, American Caitlan Coleman, 31, and her Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, 33, were kidnapped in 2012 while they were backpacking Afghanistan. Coleman was pregnant when she was kidnapped and the couple had two more children in captivity. Boyle's parents, said that they had spoken to their son and that all of the family members were in good health. Pakistan said it had secured their release after receiving intelligence from the US. Some of the circumstances surrounding the family's release remained unclear late Thursday. An official said the recovery operation was conducted by Pakistani intelligence agents. He said that the operation took place in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in northwestern Pakistan. The operation involved a shootout with the kidnappers with some being killed in the firefight and others being arrested.

In Other News So what exactly does it mean to be a territory, and what responsibilities does the federal government have to the people of Puerto Rico? Puerto Rico is one of five inhabited U.S. territories, along with American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands. People of these territories (except some in American Samoa) are U.S. citizens, pay taxes and can freely travel within the U.S. Much like states in the U.S., the territories also have their own governments and elect their own governors. Unlike states, the territories do not have a vote in Congress. They each send a delegate to the House who possesses all powers of a Representative besides voting rights, like the ability to debate legislation or sit on committees. The territories also send delegates to political conventions, such as those to nominate presidential candidates. However, the territories have no electoral votes in the presidential election. Despite their inability to vote on federal issues, Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens for more than 100 years and the government has the same responsibilities toward them as they do to other U.S. citizens.