KABUL: Western military officials in Afghanistan say a British commando was killed during a raid early Wednesday that freed a New York Times reporter from his Taliban captors.

Reporter Stephen Farrell was taken hostage along with his translator in the northern province of Kunduz on Saturday. German commanders had ordered an airstrike on two hijacked fuel tankers, and reporters traveled to the area to cover the story.

Two military officials told The Associated Press that one British commando died during the early morning raid. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the death had not been officially announced.

The Times reported that Farrell's Afghan translator also was killed during the raid.