The nine crew members kidnapped from the Indian ship by pirates from Somalia have been rescued.
The mayor of Galkayo town in the state of Galmudug, Hirsi Yusuf Barre, told Reuters that Somali security forces have rescued the crew members two days after pirates fled abandoning the Indian cargo dhow.
The Al Kausar vessel was seized this month by Somali pirates after years without a reported incident.
Galmudug is a federal state within the Horn of Africa country that operates its own security forces.
Somali pirate attacks peaked with 237 in 2012 but then declined steeply after ship owners improved security measures and international naval forces stepped up patrols.
But this month has seen a new rash of attacks, with two ships captured and a third rescued by Indian and Chinese forces after the crew radioed for help and locked themselves in a safe room.
Residents of the Somali coastline say piracy has resumed after local authorities issued permits for foreign fishing vessels to fish in Somali waters. They say the foreign vessels have cut nets belonging to locals and run down small boats.
Source: Africafeeds.com / (additional materials from Reuters)
