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Somali pirates who seized oil tanker release it: Officials

Somali pirates who seized oil tanker release it: Officials

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somalia official says pirates who seized a Comoros-flagged oil tanker have released the ship without conditions.

Security official Ahmed Mohamed tells The Associated Press the pirates have disembarked the ship, which is now heading to Bossaso port, the region's commercial hub.

He says the release occurred after negotiations by local elders and local officials with the pirates, who seized the tanker on Monday.

Naval forces and the pirates clashed earlier Thursday.

The hijacking of the Comoros-flagged tanker Aris 13 was the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel off Somalia since 2012.

Abdi Guled, The Associated Press