Indian and Seychelles forces separately rescue two fishing boats hijacked by Somali pirates

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI
Associated Press

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The Indian and Seychelles forces rescued two fishing vessels separately hijacked by Somali pirates and freed 23 Iranian and Sri Lankan crew members onboard the boats, both countries said in statements. The Seychelles’ defense forces and coast guard rescued six Sri Lankan fishermen whose vessel was hijacked by Somali pirates two days earlier while the Indian navy said it freed 17 crew members in an Iranian fishing vessel that was hijacked by pirates off the east coast of Somalia.  The suspected hijackings in waters off Somalia have raised concern that Somali pirates have resumed activity a decade after they caused chaos in international shipping.