The Taliban in Afghanistan released their public communiqué about capturing a young Canadian man, who they claim is a spy, after attempts to negotiate his release with Canadian officials failed to bring a “positive” response to their demands, according to a Taliban spokesman.
Canadian authorities are continuing to work with Afghan authorities to help free Colin Rutherford, 27, of Toronto, but will not comment on their efforts or when the government learned of the hostage taking. Mr. Rutherford noted on an Internet social networking site he was travelling to Kabul Oct. 23-Nov. 6, 2010. There has been no update.
His situation was not made public until the Taliban communiqué boasting of the capture on Sunday, an event that appears to have happened some time previously.
The Taliban said he had already been interrogated and negotiations opened with the“official delegation from Canada’s government.”
However,“no positive reply has been received from {Canada} about the demands for {his} release,” according to a translation of the message prepared by the SITE Intelligence Group.
A Taliban spokesman, signing his name Zabihullah Mujahid, claims Mr. Rutherford was sent to“gather intelligence on hideouts of the mujahedeen.” A Canadian government spokeswoman said he travelled to the country “as a tourist. We understand that he was seeking to learn Pashto.”
“Canadian officials are working with Afghan authorities to assist the family in securing the safe release of their loved one,” said Claude Rochon, a spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs.
The Taliban said Mr. Rutherford was captured“during an operation in the capital city of Ghazni province.”
The communiqué said he revealed during interrogation he was sent to gather intelligence on mujahedeen fighter hideouts. It also claimed to have “recovered some documents from him which proved his activities in the province,” according to the translation by SITE, a Washington-area security research company.
It added a video of Mr. Rutherford was being prepared for release“in the near future.”
Ghazni is a particularly dangerous spot in a precarious country— in the Taliban-dominated southeast, intersecting the Kabul-Kandahar road.Canada publicly warns against all travel to Afghanistan.
“Canadians undertaking travel despite this warning take serious risks.... Terrorism is a continuous threat throughout Afghanistan. The threat to foreign nationals, including Canadians, from terrorist and criminal violence is extremely high,” says a warning on Foreign Affairs’s website. “Several security incidents have occurred on the highway between Kabul and Kandahar. Bogus checkpoints may be set up in order to commit attacks. There is also an extreme risk of foreign nationals being kidnapped throughout Afghanistan.”
Despite the unusualness of a tourist in the area, Mr. Rutherford said on websites he loved travelling and adventure. He wrote about recent travels, including a tour of Europe by rail— taking in Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece — in August 2008. That was followed by an “Islamabad Grad Trip” to Pakistan for nearly a month in 2009. Afghanistan was the last trip listed.
Mr. Rutherford’s family earlier declined to comment.
National Post
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