Indian Navy Saves Pakistani Sailors from Pirates

In a recent rescue mission, the Indian naval forces saved 19 Pakistani sailors whose fishing vessel had been hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. This successful operation was conducted by the Indian warship INS Sumitra, marking its second rescue mission within 36 hours. Prior to this, the ship had already rescued the Iranian crew of another hijacked vessel. Over the past few weeks, India's navy has been actively responding to distress calls from various vessels and sailors. These incidents have raised concerns about the resurgence of pirate activities in the region. INS Sumitra has been deployed in the east coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden to carry out maritime security operations. On January 28th, the ship intercepted an Iranian-flagged vessel after receiving a distress message. The naval officers reportedly pressured the pirates to release the crew and the ship. Once the 17 crew members were freed, the vessel was thoroughly checked and allowed to continue its journey. The statement did not provide any information about the fate of the pirates. On another occasion, INS Sumitra was called into action to locate and intercept another Iranian-flagged fishing vessel named Al Naeemi. Navy personnel boarded the vessel to ensure the safety of the crew and sanitize the vessel. A photograph shared on social media showed armed navy personnel guarding individuals with their hands tied behind their backs, presumably the captured pirates. In a separate incident, the defence forces of the Seychelles rescued six Sri Lankan fishermen after their vessel was hijacked. According to a Bloomberg report, the recent increase in piracy off Somalia's coast can be attributed to the disruption in maritime security caused by the Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group, who have been launching attacks on ships in the Red Sea. In response to one such attack, the Indian Navy deployed INS Visakhapatnam in the Gulf of Aden to extinguish a fire on the Marlin Luanda, a tanker with ties to the UK. French and US naval ships also provided assistance in this operation. Earlier in January, Indian navy commandos successfully rescued 21 crew members from a ship flagged under Liberia that had been attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.