Somali Soldiers Capture Ship From Pirates

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
USA Today
October 15, 2008
Pg. 7

By Associated Press
MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Soldiers from Somalia, with their guns blazing, freed a cargo ship from pirates Tuesday after it was held for five days.
Another group of pirates let a deadline pass on their threat to blow up an arms-laden Ukrainian ship if no ransom was paid.
Relatives of crewmembers of the Ukrainian vessel, which is carrying battle tanks and other heavy weapons, have asked Ukraine to pay a ransom of up to $20 million demanded by the pirates.
The Panamanian-flagged cargo ship and its 11 crewmembers -- nine Syrians and two Somalis -- were freed after a gunbattle in which one soldier was killed and three were wounded, Deputy Seaport Minister Abdiqadir Muse Geele said. No hostages or pirates were hurt, Geele said.
The 10 pirates who had held the ship since Thursday surrendered when they ran out of ammunition, said Geele, a deputy minister in the government of the northern Somalia semiautonomous region of Puntland, whose soldiers freed the vessel.
Puntland's foreign minister, Ali Abdi Aware, said his government's ragtag coast guard can fight pirates in the area, which is a hotbed of maritime hijackings. "We will continue to fight against pirates," Aware said. "The world should halt paying ransom."
Pirates threatened to destroy the Ukrainian ship by early Tuesday unless a ransom was paid. The U.S. Navy said the deadline passed without incident.
The Faina, carrying a crew of 20, is still in one piece, said Lt. Stephanie Murdock, a spokeswoman for the 5th Fleet in Bahrain. U.S. warships continue to monitor the Faina, which is anchored near the Somalian port of Hobyo, Murdock said.
A spokesman for the pirates, Sugule Ali, had said Monday that they were considering extending the deadline. They have held the ship and its crew since Sept. 25.
Ukraine's government says it opposes the use of force against the pirates, but it will not negotiate with terrorists. Somalia authorized other nations to use military force to end the hijacking.
Pirates have seized more than two dozen ships this year off the Horn of Africa. The Faina has drawn intense interest because of its military cargo.
 
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