MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Indian naval forces freed an Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 hijacked off Somalia after an operation lasting more than 48 hours, India’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
The rescue of the Azini was completed Monday in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) from Mumbai, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said.
An official with the Puntland Maritime Police Force told The Associated Press that Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates, confiscated their mobile phones and released them. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The suspects and two Somali security guards later came ashore at Bandar Bayla in northeastern Somalia, the official said. Three of those who came ashore had minor injuries, but he did not specify whether they were suspects or guards, or how they were hurt.
India’s ministry said the operation ended without casualties or injuries. It did not specify whether that account covered everyone aboard or only the rescued crew. It was unclear whether the crew remained on the vessel or were moved elsewhere.
The operation involved a warship, a maritime surveillance aircraft and marine commandos. An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft airdropped additional commandos, the ministry said.
The Azini was hijacked Oct. 29 between Bandar Bayla and Hafun. A Puntland maritime police officer said on Sunday that it carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards. The difference between that crew count and India’s rescue figure could not immediately be explained.
Indian forces tracked the vessel by sea and air before securing it, the ministry said. It said there had been concern that pirates could use the boat as a floating base for attacks on commercial ships.
The Puntland official said regional authorities learned of the rescue only after it had taken place.
The hijacking followed a resurgence of Somali piracy across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean. By August, pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April, some far from Somalia’s coast. They included the oil products tanker Sibu 1, seized about 252 kilometers (136 nautical miles) east of al-Mukalla, Yemen.
In September, Puntland authorities said pirates killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces recovered it. The tanker had been held since April. Authorities said they detained 16 suspected pirates.
The renewed piracy adds to shipping risks in a region already disrupted by the Iran war. Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and threats by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi-linked shipping through Bab el-Mandeb have complicated oil transport routes.
Those disruptions have lengthened voyages and driven up tanker costs. Some oil shipments diverted around Africa face journeys up to a month longer.
International naval patrols and improved maritime security have sharply reduced Somali piracy over the past decade, but recent hijackings have renewed concerns about the threat.
FILE - Fishermen stand on the Indian Ocean beach at dusk in the former pirate village of Eyl, in Somalia's semiautonomous northeastern state of Puntland, Somalia, March 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Hockey powers Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic will refuse to play against Russia at next year's world championship, as a growing boycott movement across Europe now includes six of the 16 nations in the men's tournament.
The rift in the sport deepened Tuesday as 11-time champion Sweden, Norway, Latvia and Denmark signed up to the boycott, and a top sponsor threatened to walk away, after Finland announced Monday it was rallying other nations to refuse to play Russia.
The Czech federation signed up too after initially saying it would wait for a board meeting next week. Austria told The Associated Press it is weighing up whether to join, and Germany is unsure of hosting the men's championship.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled last week that the International Ice Hockey Federation must reinstate Russian teams, beginning with the world juniors starting next month in Canada.
There was no immediate reaction from the IIHF to the boycotts.
The Swedish hockey federation said its board decided Tuesday that it would not play against Russia but would still play other world championship games. That was a turnaround from last week, after Sweden initially indicated a boycott was off the table after the CAS ruling Friday.
“The Three Crowns will not play Russia in coming world championship tournaments,” federation head Anders Larsson said in a statement, using the team's nickname.
The Swedish statement came shortly after Norway announced its boycott.
“Our position is that Russia should be excluded from all international championships as long as the war in Ukraine continues and remains unchanged,” the Norwegian Ice Hockey Association said in a statement. “At the same time, this decision is based on our responsibility to protect the safety and wellbeing of our players, team staff and their families. We believe that playing Russia under the current circumstances could expose our players and team staff to significant security risks. Our priority is therefore their mental health, wellbeing and personal safety.”
Norway only referred to the men's world championship in May in its statement. General secretary Petter Salsten told the AP that, in the case of the world juniors, Norway would potentially be removed from the tournament by the IIHF to make way for Russia. In that case, “if RUS is added, it is a huge possibility that NOR is out," he wrote via email, because Norway was the last team to qualify.
The chairman of Denmark’s hockey federation told the Ritzau news agency its teams would not play against Russia. Latvia's federation said it “reaffirms its longstanding and firm position" not to play against Russia or its ally Belarus.
The Austrian federation told the AP in an emailed statement: “We stand behind the decision of Finland and Norway and are currently looking into whether the European nations will join a boycott together. We are therefore not ruling out a boycott and are still coordinating with the authorities on this."
Finland is the defending men's world champion and Norway was the bronze medal-winner this year.
The growing boycott is similar to the situation in soccer in 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. On that occasion, all of Russia's potential World Cup qualifying opponents threatened to boycott. FIFA successfully argued at CAS for excluding Russia on the grounds that not doing so risked “irreparable and chaotic” harm to the competition.
Finnish tire manufacturer Nokian Tyres said it will no longer sponsor the world championship if Russia takes part.
Tiina Frazer, senior vice president for brand, marketing and communications, said that “under the current circumstances, continuing the sponsorship if Russia participates would not be aligned with our values.”
Swedish furniture maker AJ Products, a tournament sponsor since 1989, said Monday it would ask for its logo not to be shown if Russia plays.
Previously, the chief executive of Germany's hockey federation said it could pull out of hosting the men's world championship next year over concerns about costs and security.
Junior tournaments are affected too, with the Finnish city of Turku saying it will not co-host next year's world juniors if Russia participates.
The Czech federation is hosting the women’s under-18 world championship in January and said Tuesday it would speak with the government about whether Russian players would be denied entry to the country.
One political figure in support of Russia's return is Slovakia's pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert Fico.
“I’ve also always wondered what the value of a gold medal is, if on the way to it you don’t have to beat the Russian hockey players, who are undoubtedly among the best in the world," he posted on social media Saturday.
The women's world championship starting in Denmark this week is not affected by the CAS ruling and is going ahead without Russia.
Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report.
See AP’s full sports coverage here
FILE - Team Sweden players wait for the handshake line after losing to the United States in overtime at a men's ice hockey quarterfinal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
FILE - Norway's players celebrate after winning the bronze medal ice hockey match between Canada and Norway at the 2026 IIHF Men's Ice Hockey World Championship in Zurich, Switzerland, on May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)
