Middle East News
US Navy rescues Iran fishing boat from pirates
Jan 6, 2012, 20:07 GMT
Arabian Sea/Washington - US Naval forces on Thursday rescued an Iranian fishing boat crew that pirates had held hostage for several weeks, the US Navy reported on Friday.
The rescue happened when members of the John C Stennis Carrier Strike Group suspected that a skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai was a pirate skiff.
A Navy search-and-seizure unit boarded the Iranian dhow and overcame 15 suspected pirates who gave no resistance, the Navy said.
Ironically, the Stennis was the same ship that Iran had warned Tuesday not to return to the Strait of Hormuz - part of an escalating war of rhetoric as Iran fights against the prospect of new sanctions over its nuclear programme.
'The Al Molai had been taken over by pirates for roughly the last 40-45 days,' said Josh Schminky, a Navy criminal investigative service agent aboard the Kidd, in a statement. 'They were held hostage, with limited rations, and we believe were forced against their will to assist the pirates with other piracy operations.'
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