VOA NEWS
Thursday, April 21st, 2011 at 2:55 pm UTC
Posted 12 hours ago
Somali pirates say they were attacked by unidentified naval forces late Wednesday, in an incident that left three pirates dead and several other people wounded.
One pirate, who identified himself as Hersi, told VOA that the attack occurred near the pirate lair of Hobyo and targeted a Yemeni fishing boat that has been used as a “mothership” to attack vessels at sea.
He said the attackers came by helicopter and boat and withdrew after an exchange of fire. The wounded included one crewman from the fishing boat. Neither the boat nor any of its crew were freed.
None of the international naval forces patrolling waters off Somalia have claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a separate incident, pirates have hijacked an Italian cargo ship with at least 21 crew members. The European Union's anti-piracy force says theMV Rosalia D'Amato was seized Thursday in the Indian Ocean.
And in another incident, South Korean naval forces boarded a vessel near Yemen Thursday because of fears pirates had taken control. Officials say all 20 crew members aboard the South Korean-owned Hanjin Tianjin were confirmed to be safe.
It was not clear whether any pirates were found on the boat. A South Korean naval destroyer raced to the ship's aid after it sent a distress signal.
Somali pirates continue to terrorize shipping in the Indian Ocean and nearby waters despite international naval patrols. The pirates have hijacked dozens of ships over the past few years and taken in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments.
Earlier Thursday, the EU anti-piracy force said it released 18 suspected pirates captured by a Finnish warship earlier this month because no country agreed to prosecute them.
It says the pirates have been returned to Somalia.
One pirate, who identified himself as Hersi, told VOA that the attack occurred near the pirate lair of Hobyo and targeted a Yemeni fishing boat that has been used as a “mothership” to attack vessels at sea.
He said the attackers came by helicopter and boat and withdrew after an exchange of fire. The wounded included one crewman from the fishing boat. Neither the boat nor any of its crew were freed.
None of the international naval forces patrolling waters off Somalia have claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a separate incident, pirates have hijacked an Italian cargo ship with at least 21 crew members. The European Union's anti-piracy force says theMV Rosalia D'Amato was seized Thursday in the Indian Ocean.
And in another incident, South Korean naval forces boarded a vessel near Yemen Thursday because of fears pirates had taken control. Officials say all 20 crew members aboard the South Korean-owned Hanjin Tianjin were confirmed to be safe.
It was not clear whether any pirates were found on the boat. A South Korean naval destroyer raced to the ship's aid after it sent a distress signal.
Somali pirates continue to terrorize shipping in the Indian Ocean and nearby waters despite international naval patrols. The pirates have hijacked dozens of ships over the past few years and taken in hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments.
Earlier Thursday, the EU anti-piracy force said it released 18 suspected pirates captured by a Finnish warship earlier this month because no country agreed to prosecute them.
It says the pirates have been returned to Somalia.
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