The Indian Navy announced on Tuesday that its forces had regained control of an Iranian fishing boat seized by pirates off the coast of Somalia, and rescued its 20 crew members. Piracy is on the rise in the Horn of Africa, with at least 15 attacks reported since April, the highest number recorded since 2013. Pirates seized the Iranian fishing boat “Azini” on October 29 off the Somali coast, between the coastal towns of Bandar Bella and Hafun in the region. Puntland, which enjoys semi-autonomy in the northeast of the country, according to the European Union Maritime Security Center in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Navy said that it was afraid that the pirates would use the “Azini” as a “mother ship” from which they would launch other attacks. It explained that one of its naval vessels and a maritime patrol aircraft tracked the fishing vessel until members of its special forces parachuted aboard and regained control of it. It added, “The Indian Navy (...) was able to rescue the crew members.” The twentieth. The “Azini” is the third Iranian fishing vessel seized in the region since July.