Fourteen Iranian fishermen seized by the Al-Shabaab militant group in Somalia, some as long as eight years ago, have returned home, Iranian media said on December 25. The fishermen were abducted in international waters near Somalia and released after "lengthy negotiations with government officials, tribal chiefs, and Somali elders," the ISNA news agency reported. Their release comes almost a month after Somali police said they discovered 20 foreigners -- 14 Iranians and six Pakistanis -- near territory controlled by the militant group.
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