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

Iranian fishing vessel Iman was hijacked by pirates (Indian Navy via AP)

Indian and Seychelles forces separately rescued two fishing vessels on Monday hijacked by Somali pirates, and freed 23 crew members from Iran and Sri Lanka, both countries said in statements.

The Seychelles’ defence 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.