An American military helicopter raid into Somalia has freed an American and a Danish hostage in Somalia, local media reported Wednesday.

The overnight raid by at least two U.S. helicopters resulted in a shootout with the pirate captors and the freeing of the two hostages.

The two hostages have been held in Somalia for nearly four months by pirates.

"There was a raid by American helicopters on pirate base and there was shootout with the pirates. We know that some have been killed and others were arrested by the U.S. forces," a security official in northern Somalia told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

The official did not say how many pirates died in the shootout or how many were taken by the U.S. forces.

Residents said that several helicopters landed in the central Somali town of Galkayo, where the two foreigners were seized about four months ago.

The freed hostages were aid workers with the Danish Demining Group and they were seized by Somali pirates last October.

A number of foreigners are still being held captive in Somalia, and most of them are crews of hijacked ships along the Somali coast and the Gulf of Aden.

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