The Iranian foreign ministry

Following heavy diplomatic efforts, around 14 Iranian fishermen have been released from Somalia after being held captive for nearly 8 years.

The Iranian foreign ministry said on Saturday that the ministry was able to achieve the release of the hostages from the Al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia.

The terrorist group abducted the fishermen from international waters near Somalia back in 2014.

The freed men are expected to arrive tonight at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran coming from Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

For years, Somalia has been fighting a war against Al-Shabaab, an armed organization ideologically affiliated with Al-Qaeda and founded in early 2004, and has adopted numerous terrorist operations that have claimed hundreds of lives.

Al-Shabaab militants were driven out of the capital, Mogadishu, in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of the countryside. It continues to launch deadly strikes on civilian and military targets, with popular hotels and restaurants frequently hit.