News of the operation came after a US captain made an unsuccessful overnight bid to escape from another seized vessel off Somalia.

BBC: Frenchman dies in Somalia rescue

This operation was several weeks in the making, and the small village of Zargaran, in the southeastern province of Zabul, has been under surveillance much longer, says a Special Forces captain who is the commander of the joint operation.

NPR: U.S.-Afghan Force Raids Suspected Taliban Hideout

The captain leads a cadre of senior naval officers in the operation of the ship.

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