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. Ben Curtis/AP hide caption

Ben Curtis/AP

MOGADISHU, Somalia — 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.…