Somali pirates kill three Pakistanis

Rescue operation
KARACHI
Three Pakistani sailors were among five crew members killed after Somali pirates opened indiscriminate fire on the abducted crew of the Honour 25 while fleeing the vessel, while four sailors were injured, according to survivors and the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust.
Three of the injured sailors are also reportedly Pakistani nationals.
Pakistani sailors Hussain Yousuf and Imran Ali, who survived the attack, contacted the Ansar Burney Welfare Trust office in Karachi using the ship captain’s mobile phone and provided details of the incident.
According to the surviving crew members, the governments of Somalia and the semi-autonomous region of Puntland in northeastern Somalia launched a joint operation on Tuesday to free the hostages from the pirates. An exchange of fire took place between Somali security forces and the pirates during the operation.
The Pakistani crew members said that when the pirates came under pressure and began retreating, they opened indiscriminate fire on the abducted crew members before fleeing the vessel.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Ansar Burney Trust Director Advocate Qurat-ul-Ain said the location where the crew members were killed and injured was a considerable distance from the shore.
She said the pirates also damaged the steering system of the Honour 25 while fleeing, rendering the vessel inoperable. The ship is now being towed to the shore by a Somali naval vessel, a process that is expected to take at least two days.
According to Qurat-ul-Ain, the naval vessel towing the Honour 25 is the same vessel that was used to launch the attack against the pirates.