WASHINGTON - A member of the US special forces was killed in Afghanistan in a mission that successfully rescued an abducted American citizen, the White House said on Sunday.

A White House statement said that the US special forces in Afghanistan rescued an American citizen in a mission that showed "extraordinary courage, skill and patriotism".

"Tragically, we lost one of our special operators in this effort. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, just as we must always honor our troops and military families," the statement said.

The NATO-led forces in Afghanistan said that the rescued American citizen, who was a doctor named Dilip Joseph, was abducted on Wednesday in Afghanistan's Kabul province. It added that seven Taliban militants were killed in the rescue operation on Sunday.

General John Allen, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, said in a statement that he ordered the mission when intelligence showed that Joseph was in imminent danger of injury or death, adding that "Joseph is now undergoing evaluations."