The Pirates of Somalia
"An unidentified helicopter destroyed five of our speedboats early in the morning. There were no casualties. We were setting off from the shore when the helicopter attacked us. We ran away without counter-attacking.They've an ace up their collective sleeve. Holding over a dozen hijacked vessels for ransom, they also hold their crews, up to 300 people of international origin in number. And perhaps no one should doubt their solemn promise to kill those people if European anti-piracy forces resume their attacks on the pirates of Somalia.
"If we are attacked while with hostages, we shall take any necessary step to save ourselves, we may also kill the hostages if we miss other options to survive."
Neither will they be prepared to surrender that multi-million-dollar piracy game so readily. Nor would their backers, who would stand themselves to lose on their investment, urge them to.
But it does represent a long-overdue effort by European anti-piracy forces to stem the disease of piracy on the high seas. It's a racket that has hugely unsettled the shipping industry and damaged international trade, alarming insurance companies and those who depend on the health of international shipping for their own stability and assured place in the world marketplace.
The raid, launched at dawn from one of nine European warships on a patrolling mission off the coast of Somalia, had a distinct purpose: to have the effect of "making life as difficult for pirates on land as we're making it at sea", according to a European Union military official.
Weeks of careful surveillance from spy planes and patrol boats offshore identifying hideouts used by the pirates, resulted in a helicopter gunship strafing Xarardheere. Pirate skiffs, called 'hunting boats' by the pirates and Arab dhows used to ferry supplies to captured ships were also hit.
Two months ago an EU ruling came down allowing "disruptive action against known pirate supplies on the shore." "We believe this action will further increase the pressure on [pirates] and disrupt pirates' efforts to get out to sea to attack merchant shipping and dhows." Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, British operation commander of the EU naval force.
The navies of several European countries, inclusive of seven frigates patrolling off Somalia, representing France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal were all involved in the dawn attack. All EU troops involved returned safely, and none set foot on Somali ground, where no one there was injured, as well. It was a shot across the bow, a warning that continued depredations will not be tolerated.
It is also anticipated that the attacks will continue. "The time is now right to step up the attacks on the infrastructure to put the pirates considerably on the back foot. However, the Somalis will certainly be prepared next time round and are likely to defend their bases with significant anti-aircraft assets now they know that the ante has been upped. This will inevitably lead to bloodshed and escalation.
The alternative, is, of course, ongoing mayhem with the Somali pirates continuing to gain in both reputation, looted wealth, and enduring determination. The world economy has been looted to the tune of an estimated $7-billion last year along, with ransoms paid to liberate ships and crews up to $160-million, according to a study by the One Earth Future Foundation.
Since one of the many beneficiaries is the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamist jihadi group, al-Shabaab, this is yet another fairly respectable reason to cut off their funding but forcing the pirates out of their mode of business.
Labels: Africa, Conflict, Crime, Economy, European Union, Security, Societal Failures, Terrorism, Troublespots
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, May 19, 2012
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