Los Angeles, Jan 17 (IANS): "12 Strong" director says Nicolai Fuglsig says all wars are similar in terms of the "human tragedy".

Fuglsig, a war photojournalist, is making his directing debut with "12 Strong".

"As a photojournalist, I have seen war firsthand and definitely experienced some very intense moments," Fuglsig said in a statement.

"12 Strong" is set in the harrowing days following 9/11 when a US Special Forces team, led by their new Captain, Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), is chosen to be the first US troops sent into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission.

The film, based on book "Horse Soldiers", also stars Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Navid Negahban, Trevante Rhodes, Elsa Pataky, William Fichtner, and Rob Riggle.

On the film, Fuglsig said: "In a way, all wars are somewhat similar when you consider the element of human tragedy, but I think this film is a very different type of war drama. The Americans come to help the Afghans fight their own battle against the Taliban, so these people from two very different cultures have to learn to work together for a shared cause."

Jerry Bruckheimer, the film's producer, praised Fuglsig for his vision.

"Nicolai is an extraordinary visual artist who has won awards for his commercial work. He also has a background as a documentarian and as a photojournalist who has shot all over the world and covered the war in Kosovo. He has a unique eye and we felt fortunate to work with him on his first movie."

The war drama is being brought to India by MVP Entertainment, and will release on Friday.