Former Taliban hostage Kathleen Coleman sues Taliban and Haqqani network in U.S. court

 Kathleen Coleman, a U.S. citizen held captive by the Taliban and the Haqqani Network for five years, has filed a lawsuit against the two groups in a Pennsylvania court. The lawsuit, filed by the prominent law firm Motley Rice, seeks to hold the Taliban and Haqqani Network accountable as terrorist organizations.

In a statement released on Friday, November 18, Motley Rice stated that the suit aims to recognize both groups’ responsibility for using Coleman and her family as tools to pressure foreign governments, including the United States. Coleman and her husband were kidnapped by the Taliban during a trip to Afghanistan in 2012, where Coleman, then seven months pregnant, gave birth to three children while in captivity.

The family was ultimately freed in 2017 following a military operation by Pakistani forces near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

The lawsuit alleges international terrorism, assault, unlawful imprisonment, and severe psychological abuse. Coleman’s case underscores the continued efforts of former hostages to seek justice for the trauma endured at the hands of extremist groups.