A joint Afghan-U.S. military operation rescued about 40 Afghan soldiers and police officers from a Taliban prison in south-central Afghanistan on Thursday night, U.S. forces in the country said.
The raid, featuring Afghan special security ground forces and Afghan helicopter crews, happened in Helmand province’s Nawzad District, the U.S. military said.
Afghan forces freed about 40 prisoners, including Afghan police officers and soldiers, the U.S military said.
The U.S. military provided intelligence and planning support, said U.S. Army Col. Michael Lawhorn, a spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.
The freed prisoners were handed over to Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense to receive medical care, the U.S. military said in a statement. The military said it didn’t have details about the former prisoners’ capture.
The district is more than 500 kilometers (more than 300 miles) southwest of the capital, Kabul.