Captain freed from Somali pirates

A US merchant vessel captain has been freed from captivity and three Somali pirates reportedly shot dead in an operation in the Indian Ocean.Richard Phillips, the captain of theMaersk Alabama, was freed after an operation against the pirates on Sunday, Laura Tischler, a spokeswoman for the US state department, said."I can confirm that Captain Phillips has been safely recovered," she said.Three of the four pirates holding Phillips were killed in the operation while the fourth was taken into custody, US officials said."US forces are reported to have attacked the lifeboat when the pirates were expecting a diplomatic exchange ... [and] have taken the remaining pirate to one of their ships in these waters.""The ransom money pirates have been getting is so huge, that many more people have been drawn into the activity."It is something that has become a very lucrative trend."