The NATO warships have freed 20 Indians held hostage by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa.

In a statement, NATO said, nine Pakistanis and five Iranians were also rescued from the pirates. The NATO said, the US warship, USS Carney, intercepted the Indian-flagged dhow Al-Qashmi off the southwestern coast of Oman and freed its 20 Indian crew members on Friday.

On Saturday, a Danish warship freed five Iranians and nine Pakistanis off the Somali coast after intercepting an Iranian dhow used by pirates as a mothership to launch attacks. The NATO said, no crew members injured in the operations and they were given access to phone calls so that they could give their relatives the good news of their release. It said, the pirates tried to escape to the Somali coast but stopped when Danish navy snipers fired warning shots. A search team, backed by a helicopter, then found the crew members and 25 suspected pirates.

The NATO operations come days after the US navy saved 13 Iranian fishermen who were held hostage by pirates for weeks in the Arabian Sea. Tehran has welcomed the rescue amid heightened tensions with Washington.