US official: American civilian held hostage by Haqqani network in Afghanistan-Pakistan region

WASHINGTON – An American civilian is being held by a Taliban-linked militant group in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, according to a United States official familiar with the matter.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the situation, said the man is being held by the Haqqani network, a family-run militant group that operates along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

The official would not discuss the man’s identity or the circumstances of his capture. The incident was first reported Wednesday by the Daily Beast website.

The FBI, the White House and the man’s wife have urged public officials and media organizations not to discuss the matter publicly, the official said.

The White House declined to comment, and the State Department declined to confirm the man’s capture.

The department is “aware of reports that an American is being held,” spokesman Mark Toner said, and “we reiterate our calls for U.S. citizens being held hostage around the world to be released.”

On Monday, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), who has been critical of U.S. hostage recovery efforts, wrote a letter to President Obama urging that he appoint a federal hostage co-ordinator.

In the letter, he noted that “there are still Americans in captivity in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.”

The only other known American captive there is Caitlin Coleman, who was kidnapped along with her husband, Canadian Joshua Boyle, while travelling in Afghanistan in 2012.

American officials call the Haqqani network a terrorist organization and have targeted its leaders with drone strikes. But the group also operates like a criminal network. Unlike the Islamic State, it is not in the habit of executing Western hostages, preferring to ransom them for cash.