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Last Updated: Sep 8, 2008 - 8:31:58 AM |
"About 14 pirates came across a warship that we think could be American
and all the pirates on board were captured and their boat destroyed,"
said Abdulqadir Muse Yusuf, the fisheries minister for the
semi-autonomous region.
"We are still investigating the identity of the warship."
Two French nationals were seized in their yacht in the perilous waters
on Tuesday and the French navy has said it is ready to try to free them
although their safety came first.
In April, French commandos launched a helicopter raid to arrest six
Somali pirates after they freed the 30-strong crew of a luxury yacht
they had hijacked days earlier.
The two captives were safe in a hilly village 750 km (466 miles) east
of Bosasso, Puntland's capital, a man who said he was the pirates'
servant told Reuters on Sunday.
"The French tourists whose boat was also hijacked are now held inside
the hilly areas of Habo village. They are safe and healthy," Abdinur
Farah told Reuters from the deck of a seized Iranian ship.
RANSOMS
He said the Iranian ship with 28 crew members including two Russians,
two Pakistanis and a Syrian would soon be freed once the $2 million
ransom agreed upon was paid.
"The bargain about the ransom is over and pirates are just waiting for
the money," he said.
"Puntland requested the pirates two weeks ago to hand over this Iranian
ship saying that it is carrying weapons to Eritrea. I have seen food
and other odd items on the ship but I do not know what is hidden
underneath."
Somali gunmen are holding more than 10 ships for ransom at Eyl, a
lawless former fishing outpost now used by gangs behind a sharp rise in
sea attacks.
The hijackings have become commonplace especially in Puntland. However,
pirates often treat hostages well in the hope of hefty ransoms. Most
captured ships bring ransoms of more than $10,000, and in a few cases
much more.
The gunmen in Eyl are also demanding a ransom of more than $9 million
to free two Malaysian tankers, a Japanese-managed bulk carrier and a
Nigerian tug boat held captive.
The pirates are currently holding over 130 crew members.
Attacks at sea have boomed as lawlessness increased in Somalia, where
there has not been a working government since warlords overthrew
dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
Since the start of last year, more than 8,000 civilians have been
killed in fighting between allied Somali government and Ethiopian
soldiers and Islamist rebels. Another 1 million have been driven from
their homes, triggering what aid workers say is Africa's worst
humanitarian disaster
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
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