A North American family that had been held hostage by the Afghan Taliban has been freed following an operation in Pakistan, the Pakistani military said Thursday. 

"Pak Army recovered 5 Western hostages including 1 Canadian, his US National wife and their three children from terrorist custody" in an operation in Kurram tribal district along the Afghan border, the army said in a statement.

It did not name the family, but Canadian Joshua Boyle and his American wife Caitlan Coleman were kidnapped by the Afghan Taliban during a backpacking trip in Afghanistan 2012, and are known to have had at least two children while in captivity.