Taliban Threatens Hostages as Key Leader Faces Afghan Death Sentence

On August 30^th a Taliban hostage video intended to persuade the American and Canadian governments to pressure the Afghan government not to execute Taliban prisoners went viral. The video does not appear to have altered the stance of the Afghan government however, and is unlikely to dramatically affect the ongoing 15-year long Afghan conflict.

In 2012, a Canadian man, Joshua Boyle, and his American wife, Caitlan Coleman, were traveling the Warduk region of Afghanistan, when they were captured and held hostage by the Taliban. The couple had been on a globetrotting journey, and passed through Russia, as well as central Asia, before entering Afghanistan.

The Taliban recently released a video of the two, the first time in three years there has been any sign of the couple. In the video they urge the American and Canadian governments to pressure the Afghan government to cease upcoming executions of captured Taliban fighters.

A second video that has not yet been released reportedly shows the couple and their two sons, both born in captivity, according to sources speaking with the Daily Beast. The video has not gone viral, was reportedly intended to demonstrate that the family is safe and together.

The use of hostage videos from the Taliban is common, but this recent video can be viewed as response to recent Afghan government actions.

On April 19^th, the Taliban conducted a large-scale attack in Kabul, Afghanistan’s largest city, killing 64 people. That led the Afghani President Ashraf Ghani to end an amnesty program for the Taliban and their affiliates, and a promise to execute those involved in terrorism.

Among those imprisoned is Anas Haqqani, the brother of Siraj Haqqani, commander of the Haqqani network which is closely affiliated with Taliban, and is also a top facilitator in Afghanistan for al Qaeda.

It’s likely that the video release was intended to influence Anas Haqqani’s sentencing, but on September 3^rd Haqqani was sentenced to death by an Afghan court.

The President Ghani was not fazed by the Taliban’s effort to pardon their affiliates. This toughened stance comes in the time that the Taliban are seeking to gain new and more authority.

In the 15-year long insurgency against the U.S. supported government, the Taliban have remained a powerful and effective competitor. Last year the group’s financial resources were measured at between 500 million and 2 billion dollars, the majority of which comes from the cultivation, processing and transport of narcotics, including as heroin and hash. The Taliban also profits from the smuggling of drug processing components and chemicals. Despite worldwide financial sanctions, the Taliban also continues to receive monetary contributions from other Islamic groups outside Afghanistan. Support also comes from the Persian Gulf region, including supporters in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 when it was toppled by the US for providing refuge to al Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks. Taliban maintains a strong presence throughout much of Afghanistan, retaking substantial territory since the drawdown of U.S. and allied forces. While  about 9,800 US troops remain in country to assist the Afghani military, they have faced restricted and byzantine rules of engagement. The troop numbers are scheduled to drop to about 5,500 troops by the end of the year, which can be expected to further affect the Afghan government’s ability to defend from Taliban attacks.

With President Ghani’s denial of pardon for the Taliban prisoners and the death sentence of Anas Haqqani, it remains to be seen how the Taliban will respond. With the Taliban in Afghanistan’s strong presence, and the Afghan government signaling that it does not intend to back down, we can expect to see the Afghanistan war continue to rage even as U.S. troops prepare to depart.