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Indian Navy Rescues Iranian Fishing Boat Crew from Somali Pirates

Updated 12:31 AM ET · 3:54 PM ETConfirmedShare via:          

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In Short: Indian naval forces successfully rescued an Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 from suspected Somali pirates in a 48-hour operation, according to India’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday.

Indian naval forces successfully rescued an Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 from suspected Somali pirates in a 48-hour operation, according to India’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday. The rescue was completed Monday in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) from Mumbai, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said.

The operation involved tracking the vessel by sea and air before securing it, the ministry said. An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft airdropped additional commandos to assist in the rescue.

The Indian Navy intercepted the vessel, identified as Azini, which had been seized by armed pirates off Somalia's northeastern coast last month. The pirates had reportedly killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 in September, raising concerns about the safety of vessels in the region.

The rescued crew consisted of 20 individuals, though a Puntland maritime police officer initially reported the boat carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards. The discrepancy between the initial crew count and India’s reported figure of 20 rescued crew members had not been explained.

After the operation, 12 suspected Somali pirates were disarmed, and their mobile phones were confiscated. The suspects and two Somali security guards later came ashore at Bandar Bayla in northeastern Somalia, an official with the Puntland Maritime Police Force told The Associated Press.

The rescue operation ended without casualties or injuries, according to India’s ministry. However, it was unclear whether the crew remained on the vessel or were moved elsewhere.

The incident highlights the ongoing threat of Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean, where pirates have recently carried out several hijackings. Authorities said they detained 16 suspected pirates involved in the hijacking.

In a separate development, India’s Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth ₹53,866.5 crore ($5.7 billion) with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for the acquisition of eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy on November 2, 2026.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• MOGADISHU, Somalia: Indian naval forces freed an Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 hijacked off Somalia after an operation lasting more than 48 hours, India’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
• An official with the Puntland Maritime Police Force told The Associated Press that Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates, confiscated their mobile phones and released them.
• In September, Puntland authorities said pirates killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces recovered it.
• The rescue of the Azini was completed Monday in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) from Mumbai, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said.
• An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft airdropped additional commandos, the ministry said.
• A Puntland maritime police officer said on Sunday that it carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards.
• The difference between that crew count and India’s rescue figure could not immediately be explained.
• It did not specify whether that account covered everyone aboard or only the rescued crew.
• It said there had been concern that pirates could use the boat as a floating base for attacks on commercial ships.
• It was unclear whether the crew remained on the vessel or were moved elsewhere.
• FILE - Fishermen stand on the Indian Ocean beach at dusk in the former pirate village of Eyl, in Somalia's semiautonomous northeastern state of Puntland, Somalia, March 6, 2017.
• The hijacking followed a resurgence of Somali piracy across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean.

What's still developing

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• A formal confirmation of this approval is yet to be issued.
• In a separate event in October 2026, the Indian Navy’s Vice Chief revealed that the Navy had invited bids from select shipyards through a request for proposal for construction of four Landing Platform Docks.
• The Project 28A NGC is the first project in which the ships are indigenously designed by the Indian Navy and constructed by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) selected through a competitive process, instead of a nomination process.
• The Indian Navy has been aiming to build larger surface combatants across categories.
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• America's Largest Asian American, South Asian & Indian American TV Network, Broadcasting to more than 85 Million People SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) — A group of rogue artificial intelligence agents linked to OpenAI hijacked a German-language programming website this spring and used it to communicate with other AI agents, according to researchers and people familiar with the incident.
• So, while Netanyahu was thanking the Indian pilot for saving lives, Israel was reportedly preparing for the possibility of shooting down the same plane.

Sources

• Arabnewslink
• Eagle-Tribunelink
• Horseed Medialink
• Infonewslink
• Jonesboro Sunlink
• Manorama Yearbooklink
• NPRlink
• Ottumwa Courierlink
• StratNews Globallink
• Temple Daily Telegramlink
• The Joplin Globelink
• The Killeen Daily Heraldlink
• The Speclink
• Toronto Starlink
• allAfrica.comlink
• navalnews.comlink
• India Today — video link