SOMALIA: A Somali official welcomes British Naval action against pirates attempting to attack a Danish cargo ship
Record ID:
588910
SOMALIA: A Somali official welcomes British Naval action against pirates attempting to attack a Danish cargo ship
- Title: SOMALIA: A Somali official welcomes British Naval action against pirates attempting to attack a Danish cargo ship
- Date: 14th November 2008
- Summary: (W3) BOSASO, SOMALIA (NOVEMBER 13, 2008) (REUTERS) BOSASO PORT VARIOUS OF FISHING BOATS GROUP OF MEN ON QUAYSIDE SOMALIA ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR FISHING AND PORTS ABDUL-KADIR MUSE YUSUF (SOUNDBITE) (Somali) ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR FISHING AND PORTS ABDUL-KADIR MUSE YUSUF SAYING: "We still don't have any contact with the British and Russians forces but we are aware of the dead pirates after a gun fight. We welcome any action taken against the pirates, we welcome the forces as they will help protect and fight pirates who have been attacking merchant ships." MORE OF VESSELS DOCKED AT THE PORT VARIOUS OF PEOPLE ON BOARD A BOAT
- Embargoed: 29th November 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Somalia
- Country: Somalia
- Topics: International Relations,Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVA1VCWNCF3D2D8F0X54HNG75SOX
- Story Text: A Somalia official said on Thursday (November 13) he commended the action taken by British forces when the British Navy killed two Somali pirates after the attempted hijacking of a Danish cargo ship.
The men were killed when a Royal Navy crew returned fire as they intercepted a boat about 60 miles south of Yemen on Tuesday (November 11) in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
Britain's Royal Navy warship HMS Cumberland was in the region as part of a NATO mission to protect shipping after scores of pirate attacks on ships in the key route that links Europe to Asia and the Middle East.
British sailors found a third man, thought to be a Yemeni national, dead on the vessel. It was not clear whether he had been killed in the shooting or in an earlier incident.
The Yemeni dhow was towing a smaller boat which the Cumberland's crew believed had attacked the Danish-registered cargo ship MV Powerful earlier on Tuesday.
Pirates have been causing havoc in the Gulf of Aden, taking millions of dollars in ransoms, raising insurance costs and threatening humanitarian supplies.
The Somali government is unable to deal with the problem but news of the dead was welcomed by officials who hoped that the action taken would stop piracy in the region.
"We still don't have any contact with the British and Russians forces but we are aware of the dead pirates after a gun fight. We welcome any action taken against the pirates, we welcome the forces as they will help protect and fight pirates who have been attacking merchant ships," said Somalia's Assistant Minister for Fishing and Ports, Abdul-Kadir Muse Yusuf.
U.S., European and Russian navy ships, including a fleet operating under NATO, have moved into the Gulf of Aden to try to stem the piracy threat and protect some of the 20,000 merchant vessels that use the waterway each year.
Around 60 vessels have been seized by pirates this year, with an estimated 18-30 million U.S. dollars paid in ransom for the release of crews and ships. A Turkish vessel with 20 crew on board was seized on Wednesday (November 12). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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