Iranian Fishermen Taken Hostage by Al-Shabaab Released after 8 Years
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Fourteen Iranian fishermen were released after being held captive by the al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia for eight years.
Following intensive diplomatic efforts, the 14 Iranian fishermen were released after nearly 8 years of captivation by the terrorist group.
The Iranian foreign ministry announced on Saturday that it had successfully negotiated the release of the hostages held by the al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia.
The terrorists kidnapped the fishermen in international waters near Somalia in 2015.
The freed men arrived at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran last night from Mogadishu, Somalia's capital.
For years, Somalia has been at war with Al-Shabaab, an armed organization ideologically affiliated with Al-Qaeda that was founded in early 2004, and has carried out a number of terrorist operations that have claimed hundreds of lives.
Al-Shabaab militants were driven out of Mogadishu by an African Union force in 2011, but the group still controls large swaths of the countryside.
It continues to launch lethal strikes on civilian and military targets, frequently targeting popular hotels and restaurants.
