Nearly three years after they were taken hostage, five Indian sailors, along with 17 others, have been rescued from Somali pirates.

Indian and Somalian governments are making arrangements to bring back the rescued hostages from Puntland. No date has, however, been fixed.

The ship was hijacked off the Yemen coast on March 29, 2010, on its way to the United Arab Emirates.

"We battled the pirates for two weeks and finally managed to rescue all 22 sailors from the ship. They are safe and doing well. Medical aid is being provided, as they have shown signs of physical torture and mental illness," said Abdrirashid Abbas Ali, project coordinator of Puntland Maritime Police Force, which carried out the rescue operation.

Speaking to HT on Wednesday, Ali said Puntland's maritime troops killed three pirates and captured three others during the battle. He added that the freed sailors will be returning to their home countries soon.