Somali pirates have released a minister kidnapped in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland. Ports Minister Said Mohamed Rageh was ambushed last Friday and held in the remote pirate stronghold of Jariban. His release came after negotiations between the pirates and Somali elders. Puntland's interior ministry said no ransom had been paid for the minister's release. Analysts say the incident has been embarrassing to the Puntland administration, which has taken a hard line against piracy. For the last five years, Puntland – the north-eastern Somali region that declared itself autonomous in 1998 – has been the hub of Somali piracy operations, particularly in the Gulf of Aden.