Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Times
September 30, 2008
Pg. 14
By Jeffrey Gettleman
NAIROBI, Kenya — American warships on Monday surrounded an arms-laden freighter hijacked by pirates, sealing off any possible escape in a standoff near the craggy Somalia coastline.
Lt. Nathan Christensen, a Navy spokesman, said that “several destroyers and missile cruisers” had joined the American destroyer that was already following the hijacked vessel. He would not specify the number of warships or what they would do if the pirates refused to surrender.
“Our intent is for the ship not to offload any of its cargo,” he said, referring to the 33 battle tanks and large supply of grenade launchers and ammunition now in the hands of the pirates.
The ship, operated by a Ukrainian arms supplier, was hijacked Thursday in Somalia’s pirate-infested waters. The American military, among others, fears that the pirates [FONT=Times New Roman, Times]could[/FONT] sell the dangerous cargo to Islamist insurgents battling Somalia’s weak government.
And the controversy over where exactly the tanks were going has heated up again.
Two Western diplomats in Nairobi, a maritime official and the pirates themselves said the arms were headed for Sudan or other neighboring countries, not Kenya, as the Kenyan government has repeatedly claimed.
One of the diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there may have been a secret arms deal in which Kenya would be a transit point for the weapons to be taken by train from the port of Mombasa and then out of the country. “I can tell you these tanks were not for Kenya,” the diplomat said.
The Kenyan government has denied this. On Monday, a government spokesman, Alfred Mutua, said: “We buy weapons all the time. I don’t see what the big deal is.”
He also characterized the pirates, in a statement, as “a ragtag terrorism unit.”
Ukrainian tanks, though, are a relative anomaly in Kenya, which has been a close ally of the United States and Britain for decades and has been equipped with Western-made weapons. Mr. Mutua acknowledged this, saying most of Kenya’s tanks were “old British tanks.”
But, he added, the Ukrainian tanks were cheaper.
“We choose who we buy from,” he said. “And we buy equipment from all over the world.”
Kenya recently bought several Chinese-made trucks to transport troops.
The first news reports on Friday regarding the hijacked ship said the arms were headed for south Sudan, which is an autonomous region of Sudan that fought a long separatist war against the northern Sudanese government.
There are currently American sanctions and a United Nations arms embargo against Sudan, though American officials said that the application of these sanctions was complicated and that it might not be illegal for Kenya to provide tanks to south Sudan. United Nations officials said that in the past few years several large arms shipments have passed through Kenya en route to south Sudan. Often, the weapons are moved across the border at night.
Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator for the Seafarers’ Assistance Program in Kenya, which tracks pirate attacks, called the Ukrainian ship “a tricky vessel.”
He said, “The tanks were for Sudan, and the Kenya government doesn’t want to admit it because of the embargo.”
Mr. Mwangura was among the first maritime officials last week to disclose that the hijacked cargo ship was crammed with weapons. He said his organization monitors shipping in the Indian Ocean and has contacts around the world. He said the weapons aboard the ship included ammunition made from depleted uranium, which is dangerous to handle and typically used to pierce armor.
The pirates holding the ship have said they are not interested in the cargo and will release it and the 20 crew members if they are paid a ransom of $20 million in cash. One crew member died, and the pirates attributed the death to natural causes.
In addition to the American warships, a Russian frigate was on its way.
Somalia’s waters are considered the world’s most dangerous. More than 50 ships have been attacked this year. Many are still being held for ransom.
September 30, 2008
Pg. 14
By Jeffrey Gettleman
NAIROBI, Kenya — American warships on Monday surrounded an arms-laden freighter hijacked by pirates, sealing off any possible escape in a standoff near the craggy Somalia coastline.
Lt. Nathan Christensen, a Navy spokesman, said that “several destroyers and missile cruisers” had joined the American destroyer that was already following the hijacked vessel. He would not specify the number of warships or what they would do if the pirates refused to surrender.
“Our intent is for the ship not to offload any of its cargo,” he said, referring to the 33 battle tanks and large supply of grenade launchers and ammunition now in the hands of the pirates.
The ship, operated by a Ukrainian arms supplier, was hijacked Thursday in Somalia’s pirate-infested waters. The American military, among others, fears that the pirates [FONT=Times New Roman, Times]could[/FONT] sell the dangerous cargo to Islamist insurgents battling Somalia’s weak government.
And the controversy over where exactly the tanks were going has heated up again.
Two Western diplomats in Nairobi, a maritime official and the pirates themselves said the arms were headed for Sudan or other neighboring countries, not Kenya, as the Kenyan government has repeatedly claimed.
One of the diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there may have been a secret arms deal in which Kenya would be a transit point for the weapons to be taken by train from the port of Mombasa and then out of the country. “I can tell you these tanks were not for Kenya,” the diplomat said.
The Kenyan government has denied this. On Monday, a government spokesman, Alfred Mutua, said: “We buy weapons all the time. I don’t see what the big deal is.”
He also characterized the pirates, in a statement, as “a ragtag terrorism unit.”
Ukrainian tanks, though, are a relative anomaly in Kenya, which has been a close ally of the United States and Britain for decades and has been equipped with Western-made weapons. Mr. Mutua acknowledged this, saying most of Kenya’s tanks were “old British tanks.”
But, he added, the Ukrainian tanks were cheaper.
“We choose who we buy from,” he said. “And we buy equipment from all over the world.”
Kenya recently bought several Chinese-made trucks to transport troops.
The first news reports on Friday regarding the hijacked ship said the arms were headed for south Sudan, which is an autonomous region of Sudan that fought a long separatist war against the northern Sudanese government.
There are currently American sanctions and a United Nations arms embargo against Sudan, though American officials said that the application of these sanctions was complicated and that it might not be illegal for Kenya to provide tanks to south Sudan. United Nations officials said that in the past few years several large arms shipments have passed through Kenya en route to south Sudan. Often, the weapons are moved across the border at night.
Andrew Mwangura, program coordinator for the Seafarers’ Assistance Program in Kenya, which tracks pirate attacks, called the Ukrainian ship “a tricky vessel.”
He said, “The tanks were for Sudan, and the Kenya government doesn’t want to admit it because of the embargo.”
Mr. Mwangura was among the first maritime officials last week to disclose that the hijacked cargo ship was crammed with weapons. He said his organization monitors shipping in the Indian Ocean and has contacts around the world. He said the weapons aboard the ship included ammunition made from depleted uranium, which is dangerous to handle and typically used to pierce armor.
The pirates holding the ship have said they are not interested in the cargo and will release it and the 20 crew members if they are paid a ransom of $20 million in cash. One crew member died, and the pirates attributed the death to natural causes.
In addition to the American warships, a Russian frigate was on its way.
Somalia’s waters are considered the world’s most dangerous. More than 50 ships have been attacked this year. Many are still being held for ransom.