The captured US-Canadian family. Photo: File 

A US drone hovering over the Pak-Afghan border had identified the captured Canadian-US family in a terrorist camp, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. 

On October 13, American Caitlan Coleman, her Canadian husband Joshua Boyle and their three children were rescued in an operation by the Pakistan Army in the country's north-western region. 

The report states that when the hostages were being moved out of the camp, the CIA kept a tab and officials informed the high-ups, including President Donald Trump, Defence Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. 

On October 11, when the hostages were being moved to Kohat, in Pakistan's settled areas, the Americans decided to act. Mattis and Tillerson wanted the elite Seal Team Six of US special forces to go in and rescue the hostages. 

Family freed from Taliban captivity leaves Pakistan for Canada

Caitlan Coleman, her husband Joshua Boyle and their three children left via PIA flight: airport sources

However, US envoy to Pakistan, Ambassador David Hale, informed Pakistani authorities of the situation and asked them to act, the Times' report states further. 

Coleman and Boyle were kidnapped during a backpacking trip in Afghanistan in 2012, and had four children while in captivity. One of the children was killed by the Taliban, according to Boyle. 

Pakistan Army announced on October 12 that the hostages had been "recovered... from terrorist custody through an intelligence-based operation by Pakistani troops." 

US intelligence services had been tracking the movement of the hostages and informed their Pakistani partners when the hostages were moved across the Pak-Afghan border into Kurram Agency on October 11, 2017, it was stated further.