The US military and its allies have rescued a high-profile Afghan national police officer who was being hunted by the Taliban because of his years working with the American military, airlifting him and his family to safety in an undisclosed location.

Mohammad Khalid Wardak escaped Wednesday after being in hiding in Kabul with his wife and four children. The family moved from place to place to evade capture and was unable to get inside the airport where the Taliban controlled the entrances. He was widely known because of his position as police chief in eastern Afghanistan’s Helmand Province and from television appearances, including one in which he challenged the Taliban to a fight, supporters said.

His friends in the US military sought help from members of Congress and the Defense and State departments to rescue Khalid, as they call him, saying he was a brother in arms who helped save countless lives and that he faced certain death if found by the Taliban.

“I don’t think people understand the chaos that is reigning right now in the capital, the brutality and the efficient lethality the Taliban are using ... To ensure their rise to power as they eliminate their greatest threat, which are these military and special police,” said US Army Special Forces Sgt. Major Chris Green, who worked with Khalid in Afghanistan.

Green said he was “incredibly happy ... Elated,” when he learned that Khalid and his family were safe, noting that some of his American rescuers had worked alongside Khalid, which he called “serendipitous.”