Indian Navy Rescues 19 Pakistani Sailors from Pirates off Somalia's Coast

Second rescue operation in 36 hours by Indian warship amid resurgence of pirate activity in the region

Indian naval forces have rescued 19 Pakistani sailors after their fishing vessel was hijacked by pirates off Somalia's coast. This was the second rescue operation in 36 hours by Indian warship INS Sumitra, which had earlier rescued the 17-member Iranian crew of a vessel also hijacked by pirates.
The Indian Navy has responded to several distress calls from vessels and sailors over the past few weeks, indicating a resurgence of pirate activity in the region. The INS Sumitra has been deployed for maritime security operations along the east coast of Somalia and Gulf of Aden.
According to a Bloomberg report, the increase in piracy off Somalia's coast is linked to the disruption in maritime security due to a series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group.
On 26 January, the Indian Navy deployed its warship INS Visakhapatnam in the Gulf of Aden in response to a distress call from Marlin Luanda, a tanker with links to the UK that was on fire for several hours after being hit by a missile fired by the Houthis. French and US naval ships also provided assistance to the vessel.
Earlier in January, Indian navy commandos had rescued 21 crew members from a Liberian-flagged ship which was attacked by pirates off the Somalian coast.