Some 17 suspected Somali pirates released by the Kenyan government on Monday have landed at the town of Galka’yo in the Mudug region of central Somalia.

Galka’yo airport was filled with hundreds of wellwishers greeting the detainees, who were held in Kenyan jails for more than a year, a witness told All Headline News by telephone.

Among those at the airport was Ahmed Ali Salad, Puntland’s governor of Mudug region, who called on young Somali boys to refrain from pirate-related activities.

He also asked the returnees to describe to their friends the painful problems they encountered while they were in prison in Kenya.

The suspects were captured by the United States Navy patrolling in the Indian Ocean last year and handed over to Kenyan authorities to be tried.

On Nov. 5 magistrate’s court in Kenya’s port city of Mombasa ordered them released, saying there was insufficient evidence against the detainees.

More than 100 suspected Somali pirates are being held in Kenyan jails. Many have been convicted and sentenced to prison while others are still awaiting trial.