NEW DELHI, Jan 29 (AFP): Indian Ocean naval forces said Monday they had freed two fishing vessels hijacked separately by Somali pirates, with Indian sailors rescuing an Iranian boat and commandos from the Seychelles releasing a Sri Lankan trawler.
The hijackings off Somalia have fuelled concerns about a resurgence of Indian Ocean raids by opportunistic pirates, coming on top of a separate surge of attacks launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
Huthi gunmen have launched scores of attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden targeting Israeli-linked vessels in response to Israel's war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.
International naval forces have been diverted north from the Gulf of Aden into the Red Sea, sparking fears that pirates will exploit the security gap, with the first successful case of Somali piracy since 2017 recorded in December.
Pirate attacks off the Somali coast peaked in 2011 -- with gunmen launching attacks as far as 3,655 kilometres (2,270 miles) from the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean-before falling off sharply after international navies sent warships and commercial shipping deployed armed guards.
Indian Ocean naval forces rescue 2 boats from Somali pirates
FE Team | Published: January 29, 2024 23:18:07
Indian Ocean naval forces rescue 2 boats from Somali pirates
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