An American ship captain being held hostage by Somali pirates has been freed unharmed in an operation by US Navy Seals that had been approved by President Barack Obama, officials said.
Three of the pirates who held him for days in a lifeboat off the Somali coast were killed in the incident.
Captain Richard Phillips' crew, who said they had escaped after he offered himself as a hostage, erupted in cheers aboard their ship docked in Mombasa, Kenya, after hearing the news.
The US Navy's 5th Fleet said Phillips was resting comfortably on a US warship after undergoing medical checks.
US officials said Obama ordered the Defence Department to use military force to rescue Phillips.
Obama said the captain had displayed courage that was "a model for all Americans".
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not yet authorised to disclose the president's decision-making process.
Obama said he was pleased that Phillips had been rescued, adding that the US needs help from other countries to deal with the threat of piracy and to hold pirates accountable.
The US did not say if Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, was receiving medical care because he had been injured or if he was being treated for exposure after his ordeal.
US officials said a pirate who had been involved in negotiations to free Phillips but who was not on the lifeboat during the rescue was in military custody.
