20 Pakistani and Iranian nationals who had apparently been kept captive by al-Shabaab for a number of years were reportedly freed on Saturday night, according to state officials in the Galmudug district.
The men claimed to be fisherman who had been seized by al Shabab in Somali waters when they spoke to security personnel in Hobyo town.
On Saturday night, the men were caught while traveling in two boats between Hobyo and Haradhere.
The rescue effort, according to the officials, is thought to have taken place close to the El-Hur area.
Security officials were working on extraditing them to their home countries.
In August 2020, three Iranian fishermen were released by Somali pirates after being held for five years after a $180,000 ransom was paid.
During the height of piracy in the central Indian Ocean, Somali pirates took thousands of hostages in raids on hundreds of ships, earning various groups hundreds of millions in ransom payments.