‘Bye, take care as you leave’: Indian Navy personnel to Pakistanis rescued from Somali pirates. Watch
File photo.
The Indian Navy recently carried out two consecutive anti-piracy operations off the East Coast of Somalia, freeing crew members and vessels from Somali pirates. The navy's warship INS Sumitra rescued 19 Pakistani nationals aboard the fishing vessel Al Naeemi and 17 Iranian nationals aboard the FV Iman. Now a video has surfaced of rescued Pakistani nationals waving goodbye to the navy personnel.
In the 12-second video, the Pakistanis were heard saying bye to the Indian Navy personnel after they were rescued. "Bye, take care as you leave," (Bye, aaram se jana) one of the navy personnel could be heard saying.
The two rescue operations
Earlier, the navy said in a statement on Tuesday, "The warship on PM 28 Jan 2024 had responded to a distress message regarding the hijacking of an Iranian flagged Fishing Vessel (FV) Iman, which had been boarded by pirates and the crew taken as hostages. The FV was intercepted by INS Sumitra and following the SOPs and coercive posturing the vessel and her Crew (17 Iranian Nationals) were safely rescued in the early hours of 29 Jan 2024."
"FV Iman was sanitised and released for onward transit," the statement added.
The navy further said that subsequently, the warship located and intercepted another Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Al Naeemi which had been boarded by pirates, and the fishing vessel's 19 Pakistani crew were taken hostage.
"Responding swiftly to the developing situation Sumitra intercepted the FV on PM 29 Jan 2024 and through coercive posturing and effective deployment of her integral helicopter and boats compelled the safe release of the crew and the vessel. The ship also undertook confirmatory boarding to sanitise and also to check on the well-being of the crew who were held captive by the Somali pirates," it added.