Somali pirates release Vietnamese hostage after 4 years of captivity
The Somali government said on October 22 that pirates off the coast of the country had released 26 Asian hostages they had kidnapped four years ago in the Indian Ocean, including Vietnamese.
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| The hostages have just been released. (Source: theguardian.com) |
Sources from the country's government said the hostages would be taken to Kenya's capital Nairobi.
Meanwhile, the mayor of the Somali city of Galkayo said the captain of the hijacked ship was killed in a pirate attack four years ago and two other sailors died during their captivity.
The official also did not know how much ransom had to be paid to the pirates in exchange for the release of the sailors.
The freed sailors hail from China, the Philippines, Cambodia, Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam. Their ship was hijacked in January 2012 near the Seychelles archipelago, a body of water that is frequently attacked by pirates. It is considered one of the longest kidnappings by Somali pirates.
Over the past three years, the number of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia has decreased significantly due to the presence of many international military vessels as well as the increasing popularity of hiring security services from anti-piracy security companies.
According to Vietnamplus
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