John Bacon

USA TODAY

Four Islamic militants were killed in southeastern Afghanistan and the son of a controversial former Pakistani prime minister was freed Tuesday in a raid conducted by U.S and Afghan special forces, U.S. military officials said.

Ali Haider Gilani, son of Yusuf Raza Gilani, was rescued from militants in the Gayan district of Paktika Province, U.S. Forces-Afghanistan said in a statement. None of the rescuers were injured, it said.

The mission was planned and launched through Operation Freedom’s Sentinel "after evidence of terrorist activity was confirmed," the statement said.

Army Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland, spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, told the Associated Press the joint military force had been pursuing al-Qaeda targets in the area.

"There was an indication that there may have been a hostage being held," Cleveland said. "It was a nice surprise.”

Gilani, about 30 years old, was kidnapped at gunpoint in Pakistan three years ago during a rally of the Pakistan People's Party, which his father led. The younger Gilani was running for a provincial assembly seat and was working the crowd on the last day of campaigning. Two aides were killed and four people were wounded in the assault.

Taliban militants had long been suspected in the kidnapping, and authorities said he may have been shuffled between militant groups. Omar Zakhilwal, the Afghan envoy to Pakistan, said Gilani was freed from an al-Qaeda-linked group.

Gunmen snatch former Pakistani PM's son at rally

"He is well and will be repatriated to his family soon," Zakhilwal said Tuesday, adding that Yusuf Reza Gilani "was ecstatically delighted as expected ... He also thanked the Afghan Security Forces for bringing a happy ending to a dreadful family saga for them."

The elder Gilani, whose secular party drew the ire of Taliban leaders, led several major offensives against Islamic militants while serving as prime minister from 2008 until the Pakistan Supreme Court removed him from office in 2012. He had been found guilty of contempt of court for refusing to reopen a corruption investigation against then-president Asif Ali Zardari.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who now leads the party, announced on Twitter that Gilani "received call from ambassador of Afghanistan. His son @haidergilani has been recovered in a successful operation."

Operation Freedom’s Sentinel is the follow-up mission to Operation Enduring Freedom, the combat mission in Afghanistan that concluded in 2014. Operation Freedom's Sentinel is considered a training, advisory and counterterrorism mission.