India’s navy successfully rescued 19 Pakistani nationals who were captured by Somali pirates aboard their fishing vessel off the coast of Somalia.
The Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Al Naeemi had been boarded by eleven Somali pirates who took all crew members hostage, as reported by the navy.
India’s navy, through its INS Sumitra patrol ship, intervened and “ensured the safe release of the crew and the vessel” after intercepting the hijacked fishing vessel, the navy announced on Tuesday.
This marks the second anti-piracy operation conducted by INS Sumitra within 36 hours. Earlier, the navy rescued 17 individuals who had been taken hostage by Somali pirates on another Iranian-flagged fishing vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
The increasing attacks on vessels off Somalia’s coast raise concerns, especially in the wake of recent missile attacks by Houthi fighters in the Red Sea.