MOGADISHU, Apr 11, 2009 – French commandos stormed a yacht held by Somalia pirates in an operation Friday that left one French hostage and two gunmen dead, hours after an American skipper held in a separate ransom battle narrowly failed in a dramatic rescue bid, officials said.
As a multinational force off Somalia built up its military muscle, French forces staged their rescue six days after the yacht, the Tanit, was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden and talks broke down, the French presidency said.
One hostage and two pirates were killed and three other adults and a child on the yacht were rescued, a French presidential spokesman said.
"Today, with the threats becoming more and more specific, the pirates refusing the offers made to them and the Tanit heading towards the coast, a operation to free the hostages was decided upon," the spokesman said.
"During the operation, a hostage was unfortunately killed. The four others — including the child — are safe and sound.
"Two pirates were killed, the three others were captured," said the spokesman. Two couples and a child were on the yacht that was taken by armed pirates last Saturday.
It was the latest in a mounting number of attacks by pirates now terrorising busy international shipping lanes from the Gulf into the Indian Ocean.
US Navy forces are pouring into the region amid a new standoff over the US captain of a Danish-operated container ship carrying international aid that pirates tried to take this week but were fought off by the American crew.
Captain Richard Phillips jumped into the water during the night and tried to swim towards the nearby US destroyer the USS Bainbridge, US Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said.
But the pirates jumped in and recaptured him.
The escape bid came as the pirates demanded a ransom for Phillips and said they were ready for a fight.
Phillips has been held on a lifeboat since Wednesday when four pirates hijacked the Maersk Alabama aid ship. The abductors were overpowered by the unarmed American crew, but they bundled Phillips onto the lifeboat.
A second US warship arrived Friday off the Somali coast to join the operation to surround the pirates, the Pentagon said.
More US ships, including a counter-piracy task force, are on the way to join the Bainbridge, which arrived on Thursday, defense officials said.
The Bainbridge and a P-3 Orion surveillance prevented the pirates from moving the hostage to a larger ship.
A pirate commander, Abdi Garad, said his men were negotiating with the US Navy so that they would not be detained if the hostage was released.
"We warn against any attempt to forcefully release the captain," he said over phone from Eyl, the pirates' lair in Somalia.
"Our guys are not planning to kill the captain but any attempt by the American forces will lead to disastrous result."
The Maersk Alabama, now manned by the US Navy, headed toward the Kenyan port of Mombasa with its cargo of 5,000 tones of UN aid destined for African refugees, US and company officials said. It was due to arrive this weekend.
With six hijackings in four days, Somalia's pirates have dashed any hope that the increased naval presence in the region would dent the chaos their ransom operations have caused.
Somali pirates on Friday released the Norwegian tanker Bow-Asir and its crew, having held it since March 26, its owners, Salhus Shipping, said in a statement.
The Bahamas-registered vessel was carrying 20,000 tones of chemical products and had a crew of 19 Filipinos, five Poles, one Russian and Lithuanian and a Norwegian skipper when it was attacked by up to 18 pirates about 250 nautical miles off the southern Somali port of Kismayo.
During 2008, about 150 ships were attacked, according to pirate monitoring watchdogs but there had been a lull in early 2009.
Hans Tino Hansen, managing director of Denmark-based Risk Intelligence, said one of the main reasons for the sudden surge in attacks was "favorable weather conditions", allowing them to venture further out to sea.
Since April 4, Somali pirates have hijacked a US container ship, a small French sailing yacht, a British-owned Italian-operated cargo, a German container carrier, a Taiwanese fishing vessel and a Yemeni tugboat.
Some of the most spectacular successes came late last year when they seized a Ukrainian cargo loaded with combat tanks and other weaponry, as well as a Saudi super-tanker carrying 100 million dollars in crude oil.
About eight million dollars was paid for these two ships alone.
Source: AFP










 

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