Pakistani security forces on Thursday safely recovered five of the 12 Iranian border guards who were abducted by militants last month from Lulakdan area near the Pak-Iran border.

The Foreign Office has said that the recovered security personnel “are in good health and being handed over to the Iranian authorities”, DawnNewsTV reported.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency, quoting Iran's Revolutionary Guard Chief General Mohammad Ali Jafari, also confirmed the development, saying five border guards abducted have been released.

“Concerted efforts under the vigilance of the military leadership are on, to recover the remaining abductees,” DawnNewsTV quoted the Foreign Office as saying.

Editorial: Border abductions

About twelve Iranian guards were kidnapped by militants from a post in Mirjaveh region close to the border. Jaish al-Adl, a terrorist group operating in the region, had claimed responsibility for their kidnapping.

Details were sketchy at the time of abduction and Iran has since twice revised the number of the abducted border force, including some from Iran's vaunted Revolutionary Guard.

Following the abduction, Iran’s top military commander Maj Gen Mohammad Hossein Bagheri had phoned Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and requested him to intensify efforts for search and rescue of the kidnapped Iranian border guards.

Moreover, the Foreign Office had also pledged to offer all possible assistance to locate the missing Iranian security personnel.

"Both militaries, under a joint mechanism established since last year, are working to ascertain the whereabouts of the [missing] Iranian guards. The Director General Military Operations from the two sides are coordinating actions in this regard," read the FO statement.

"No effort will be spared to assist our Iranian brothers in finding the missing guards," it had said.