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India says its navy frees Iranian fishing boat and 20 crew hijacked off Somalia

India's Defense Ministry says the operation ended without casualties, while a Puntland official says authorities in the region found out about the rescue only afterward.

5 news outlets reported this
Liberal2 outletsIndian rescue operation and unanswered questions about itCenter1 outletIndian rescue operation and unanswered questions about itConservative2 outletsIndian rescue operation and unanswered questions about it
Published 4 min read
Overview

India's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Indian naval forces freed an Iranian fishing boat, the Azini, and its crew of 20 after an operation lasting more than 48 hours. The boat was hijacked off Somalia on Oct. 29, between Bandar Bayla and Hafun. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said the rescue was completed on Monday in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 kilometers from Mumbai.

A warship, a surveillance aircraft and marine commandos took part, and the ministry said an Air Force C-17 airdropped more commandos. The ministry said the operation ended without casualties or injuries, but it did not specify whether that covered everyone aboard or only the rescued crew. An anonymous official with the Puntland Maritime Police Force said Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates, took their phones and released them.

He said the suspects and two Somali security guards later landed at Bandar Bayla, and three people had minor injuries. He did not say whether they were suspects or guards. He also said Puntland's regional authorities heard of the rescue only once it was over.

On Sunday, a Puntland maritime police officer had said the boat carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali guards. That difference could not immediately be explained.

Key figures
  • 20 crew members freed, per India's Defense Ministry — ABC News
  • more than 48 hours length of the operation — ABC News
  • 12 suspected Somali pirates disarmed and released, per a Puntland official — ABC News
  • 21 Iranian crew members aboard, per a Puntland maritime police officer on Sunday — ABC News
  • more than 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) distance from Mumbai, per Rajnath Singh — ABC News

Three sides of the story

Liberal2 outlets

Indian rescue operation and unanswered questions about it

ABC News runs the Associated Press report, opening with India's Defense Ministry saying its forces freed the Azini and its crew of 20 after more than 48 hours. It carries Rajnath Singh's account of the rescue and the ministry's statement of no casualties or injuries, and it notes the ministry did not say whether that covered everyone aboard. The report states that a warship, a maritime surveillance aircraft and marine commandos were involved, and credits the ministry with the C-17 airdrop of more commandos.

It also includes the Puntland official's version, with 12 suspected pirates disarmed and released, and his statement that regional authorities learned of the rescue afterward. The text says the gap between the 20 rescued and the earlier crew count could not immediately be explained, and it places the hijacking within a resurgence of Somali piracy and the Iran war's disruption of shipping. NPR runs the same headline and reports the involvement of a warship, a surveillance aircraft and marine commandos, and a resurgence of Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean.

Center1 outlet

Indian rescue operation and unanswered questions about it

The Seattle Times carries the Associated Press dispatch from Mogadishu, opening with India's Defense Ministry saying naval forces freed the Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 after more than 48 hours. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh places the rescue in the Arabian Sea. An anonymous Puntland Maritime Police Force official says Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates and released them, and that the suspects and two Somali guards later came ashore at Bandar Bayla.

The dispatch says it is not known whether the crew stayed aboard or was moved elsewhere. It notes that a Puntland officer earlier reported 21 Iranian crew, a gap that could not immediately be explained, and that Puntland authorities learned of the rescue only after it happened. It closes on the resurgence of Somali piracy, the Iran war's effect on shipping routes and the killing of five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25, according to Puntland authorities.

Conservative2 outlets

Indian rescue operation and unanswered questions about it

The New York Post runs the Associated Press report under the headline saying the Indian navy rescued 20 crew from the hijacked Iranian fishing boat. It opens with India's Defense Ministry saying its forces freed the boat after more than 48 hours, and with Rajnath Singh placing the rescue in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 kilometers from Mumbai. The report says a warship, a surveillance aircraft and marine commandos were involved, and that the ministry said a C-17 dropped more commandos.

It also gives the ministry's statement that the operation ended without casualties or injuries. The Puntland official says 12 suspected pirates were disarmed and released. The report adds that it is unclear whether the crew stayed aboard, and that a Puntland officer had reported 21 Iranian crew and two guards.

The ministry, it says, had been concerned that pirates could turn the boat into a "floating base" for attacks on commercial ships. The Washington Times reports, citing India's Defense Ministry on Tuesday, that Indian naval forces freed the Iranian boat and its 20 crew after more than 48 hours.

All sources: 5 articles from 5 outlets

Liberal (2)

Center (1)

Conservative (2)