Indian Forces Rescue Iranian Dhow From Somali Pirates
Indian forces have intercepted and liberated a fishing dhow that had been captured by pirates off Somalia, according to the country's defense ministry. All 20 of the vessel's crewmembers were rescued without harm.
On Friday, armed pirates boarded the Iranian fishing vessel Azini at a position about 185 nautical miles to the east of Bandarbayla, Somalia. Maritime security agencies believed that the pirate gang likely intended to use the Iranian fishing dhow as a mother ship for further attacks on merchant shipping, a standard operating practice for Somali pirate action groups. Those concerns were validated by the vessel's movements: By Saturday, Azini had transited another 110 nautical miles to the east, putting the fishing vessel nearer to a common transit route for merchant shipping.
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In response, the Indian Navy diverted a warship to intercept the hijacked dhow. In a coordinated raid assisted by an air-dropped unit of Indian Marine Commandos, the Indian Navy seized the dhow, captured the pirates and released the crewmembers.
"My congratulations to [the] Indian Navy for successfully executing a meticulously coordinated 48-hour operation to rescue all 20 crew members of the pirated fishing vessel, Azini," said Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh in a statement. "The swift localization, interception and safe release of the crew and vessel from significantly-armed pirates, with timely support from the Indian Air Force, speak well of the Indian Navy’s high operational readiness."
