Indian navy rescues 20 crew from Iranian fishing boat hijacked off Somalia

Indian naval forces freed an Iranian fishing boat, the Azini, and its 20 crew members after a hijacking off Somalia that lasted more than 48 hours, India’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The operation concluded Monday in the Arabian Sea, over 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) from Mumbai. India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates, confiscated their mobile phones and released them. A Puntland Maritime Police Force official told the AP the suspects and two Somali security guards later came ashore at Bandar Bayla in northeastern Somalia. India said the operation ended without casualties or injuries and described the vessel as a potential floating base for attacks.