It’s a bizarre kidnapping that has made headlines around the world. The terrifying ordeal suffered by Smiths Falls native Joshua Boyle and his family.

In a letter, shared exclusively with CTV Ottawa, Boyle offers fresh insights, explaining why he went to Afghanistan in the first place and about the horrors his children suffered in captivity.

In it, Boyle explains how he understands people want answers; this is what he had to say:

“Jonah's adjustments have been incredible, proving just how resilient children can be under the most dire and dangerous of circumstances; he's gone from complaining about the captain "Abdurahman" beating him with a stick in 2015 because he cries too much, to complaining that he doesn't think Tim Hortons should be allowed to put plain timbits in his box...so it's pretty amusing to watch him, everybody comments on how he's both curious and oddly fearless - and it's just...he's been through that ordeal, so anything short of a sadist with a stick looking to beat a child, how can it scare him? That's his opinion at least.

Noah's a little more timid though, he sees the world as still a terrifying place although he's made a lot of progress on that front; right now female medical staff are typically fine with him as long as both his parents remain at his side throughout - he did a lot of x-rays and that yesterday and he was really stoic and calm for it, despite clearly being terrified. But that's at least progress in the right direction, and God-willing, he'll continue to improve.

We can certainly understand that many people do not understand what we were doing in Afghanistan, but the simple truth is that no pious Muslim and no pious Christian and no pious Jew has actually questioned our actions at all. We were raised in, live in and remain in different paradigms than those questioning us are in.

To those who strive to devote their life to acting as a servant of God, no explanation is necessary. To those who don't strive to devote their life to acting as a servant of God, no explanation is possible. Unfortunately, it's really that simple.”

-Joshua Boyle