Yemen's special forces have recaptured an oil tanker hijacked off its coast and arrested four pirates, a source with the Yemeni defense ministry said on Monday.

"A group of commandos stormed the ship right at 5:30 in the morning and fought with the pirates, killing three, wounding two and capturing four others, and liberated the ship," the source was quoted by the defense ministry's website as saying.

The Yemeni tanker, named Qana, was seized by 16 Somali pirates on Sunday some 10 nautical miles off the Yemeni coast, on its way back from the port of Mukalla to Aden after being unloaded its oil cargo, the source said.

The source said the group of commandos found four of the crew members and an Indian who were all wounded after the pirates fired at them.

On Sunday, the Yemeni navy forces have freed three commercial vessels seized by pirates, the website quoted another source as saying.

The operation was carried out in collaboration with the Yemeni coast guard helicopters, said the source, adding that the navy forces captured four pirates, killed two and injured another.

(Xinhua News Agency April 27, 2009)