Colorado Springs Doctor Rescued from Taliban

ABC News ^ | Dec 9, 2012 | Clayton Sandell

[ExxonPatrolUs]

Dr. Dilip Joseph and two colleagues were kidnapped by a group of armed men while returning from a visit to a rural medical clinic in eastern Kabul Province, according to a statement from their employer, Colorado Springs-based Morning Star Development. The statement said the three were eventually taken to a mountainous area about 50 miles from the border with Pakistan.

Morning Star's crisis management team in Colorado Springs was in contact with the hostages and their captors almost immediately, the statement said.

On Saturday evening in Afghanistan, two of the three hostages were released. Morning Star did not release their names in order to protect their identities. Dr. Joseph remained in captivity.

Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, ordered the mission to rescue Joseph when "intelligence showed that Joseph was in imminent danger of injury or death", according to a military press release.

Morning Star said Joseph was in good condition and will probably return home to Colorado Springs in the next few days.

A Defense Department official told ABC's Luis Martinez that Joseph can walk, but was beaten up by his captors.

Joseph has worked for Morning Star Development for three years, the organization said, and travels frequently to Afghanistan.

"Morning Star Development does state categorically that we paid no ransom, money or other consideration to the captors or anyone else to secure the release of these hostages," the organization said.

Joseph can be seen here in a Morning Star Development video:

"Due to security concerns, some cannot be named but their help will never be forgotten. Among these who cannot be named we include all of the courageous members of the U.S. military who successfully rescued Mr. Joseph as they risked their own lives doing so," the statement said.

[Travis McGee]

I just hope they killed a lot of taliban on the mission.

[Rappini]

Sounds like an ST-6 mission to me. I hope they don’t make a movie about it.

[camle]

bravo!

[from occupied ga]

Although I knew CO was going more and more Marxist, I didn’t realize the taliban were that active in Colorado Springs. Oh, never mind I see that it wasn’t in colorado

[from occupied ga]

Although I knew CO was going more and more Marxist, I didn’t realize the taliban were that active in Colorado Springs. Oh, never mind I see that it wasn’t in colorado

[nuconvert]

from another article ...

“According to a Defense Department official, no U.S. forces were killed in the raid, but several Taliban died in the rescue, which was a nighttime helicopter raid by U.S. Special Operations forces in a very remote area by the Pakistan border.”

[RetiredTexasVet]

I don’t see a lot of value risking our soldier’s lives to rescue a “citizen of the new world order”.

[BenLurkin]

Maybe the good doc was just pretending to be cozy with the Taliban. Maybe he was working for our side undercover.

[CLWoodman]

While I'm glad the good doctor is home, we still have one soldier who is being held POW by the Taliban. Bowe Bergdahl was captured on June 30, 2009, and he is STILL THERE. He is alive, they occasionally post videos of him. His father is posting videos speaking to these people in their language, hoping to convince them to return his son. Why did this person rate a rescue in FIVE DAYS, while this young man is languishing away for THREE YEARS?? I realize there is much wrong with our leadership today...I just don't have words to voice my sadness over the loss of our SEAL and the continued captivity of Bowe. How many of you know of him? I'll wager not enough. Someone needs to get the message out; I'll gladly be the mouthpiece. More info: www.bringbowehomewod.com. I'm trying to put a billboard with his face, name, and stats on it right outside DC; you can see the other ones that have been put up on that page too.