A press statement from Puntland authority said its forces have laid a siege on the pirates.

“Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) units laid siege to the MV Iceberg 1 vessel beginning on Dec. 10 near Gara’ad coastal village of Mudug region and the operation concluded successfully today (Sunday) when all 22 hostages were released, after a two-week period of fighting pirates and laying siege to the vessel.

“The hostages have suffered signs of physical torture and illness. They are now receiving nutrition and medical care. The statement added.” The statement said.

MV Iceberg 1 was hijacked by Somali pirates on March 29, 2010.

Meanwhile, a group of 8 Puntland soldiers responsible for briefly hijacking a government-impounded, North Korea-flagged vessel MV Daesan and its 33-member crew have been jailed by the Puntland military court on Dec. 22. The statement added.

“The brief hijacking of the MV Daesan was a political and security conspiracy architected by politically motivated elements and pirates intending to divert attention from the PMPF operation to rescue the MV Iceberg 1 hostages.” The statement noted.