A girl who was abducted by her mother in 2002 during a bitter custody dispute with the child's father has been found in Mexico.

Sabrina Allen, now 17, was rescued by authorities on Tuesday in a town southeast of Mexico City.

She was found "in good physical health" minutes after law enforcement officers arrested Dara Llorens, private investigation firm Klein Investigating said.

The firm said a Mexican Federal Police officer was injured in the operation, but his injuries were not life threatening.

FBI agents and US Marshals also took part in the rescue mission, which kicked off following a near two-week surveillance operation.

Llorens, 43, was extradited back to the US and booked into a Texas jail on charges of aggravated kidnapping and interfering with child custody.

Sabrina was also flown to Texas, where she was being housed at an undisclosed location.

Her father, Greg Allen, said in a statement that he was "overjoyed" by news that his daughter had been found safe.

"Our entire family would like to thank the investigators that made this happen," Mr Allen said.

"Our prayers go out to the Mexican Federal Police Officer who was injured. We also would like to thank the Mexican Government for their cooperation in this case.

"Last, a heartfelt thank you to the US FBI, US Marshals, and all of the investigators that have worked this case for the last 12 years. They never gave up," he added.

It is not immediately clear when a reunion might take place.