Navy free 14 Hostages from Somali pirates

Indian and French Navies together ensured the safe release of 14 Indian hostages whose dhow (wooden ship) was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. "The close coordination between the two Navies helped in freeing 14 crew members of an Indian dhow 'MV Nafeya' after it was hijacked by pirates off Boosasso near Somalia at 1100 hours on July 10 by seven pirates armed with RPGs and AK47s ," Indian Navy officers said in New Delhi. The dhow, registered in Porbandar, Gujarat and operating n UAE, was hijacked by the pirates after it had dropped cargo at a Somalian harbour and was proceeding towards Dubai.
After capturing the Indian dhow, officials said, the pirates attempted to hijack a Liberian tanker ship 'MV A Elephant' near Bab-el-Manbeb on July 13. "The attack was thwarted by a French warship belonging to the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), which was in the vicinity," officers said.