<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>23 pirates nabbed in Gulf of Aden
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Indian commandos arrest pirates after attacked merchant ship calls for help </TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->New Delhi - The Indian navy arrested 23 pirates who threatened a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden yesterday, the latest in a series of clashes with Somali pirates.
An Indian navy ship, the INS Mysore, was escorting merchant ships in the region when it received a distress call from seamen aboard the Gibe who said they were being attacked by two boats.
The distress call said the pirates were firing on the Gibe, according to a statement from the Indian government. The pirates tried to escape when they saw the Mysore and its helicopter, but their boats were boarded by Indian marine commandos.
The pirates had 'a substantial cache of arms and equipment', including seven AK-47 assault rifles, three machine guns, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and other weapons, the statement added.
The pirates were from Somalia and Yemen, two countries surrounding the Gulf of Aden.
Somali pirates have become increasingly brazen in recent months, seizing a number of vessels including a Saudi supertanker loaded with US$100million (S$149million) worth of oil.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told a regional security conference in Bahrain yesterday that the US lacks the intelligence needed to pursue the fight against pirates on Somali soil. His comments came days after the US delegation at the United Nations circulated a draft resolution that would give countries the right to pursue pirates on land as well as at sea.
Analysts say pursuing pirates on land is crucial to any military response to attacks that have targeted dozens of ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean in recent months. The attacks have pushed up insurance costs and have earned Somali pirates tens of millions of dollars in ransom, prompting foreign navies to rush to protect merchant shipping.
A Kenyan maritime official yesterday said Somali pirates had released a Greek chemical tanker seized in October but three crew members were feared dead.
AP, Reuters, AFP <!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><!-- Current Ratings : end --><!-- vbbintegration : start --><!-- vbbintegration : end --><!-- dennis change request 20070424 : start --><!---Google ad - Start : Sun, 14 Dec 2008 03:22:02:837---><!-- AdSpace STI Google ad tag --><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://ads.asia1.com.sg/js.ng/site=tsti&pagepos=20&size=10X10"> </SCRIPT>
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Indian commandos arrest pirates after attacked merchant ship calls for help </TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->New Delhi - The Indian navy arrested 23 pirates who threatened a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden yesterday, the latest in a series of clashes with Somali pirates.
An Indian navy ship, the INS Mysore, was escorting merchant ships in the region when it received a distress call from seamen aboard the Gibe who said they were being attacked by two boats.
The distress call said the pirates were firing on the Gibe, according to a statement from the Indian government. The pirates tried to escape when they saw the Mysore and its helicopter, but their boats were boarded by Indian marine commandos.
The pirates had 'a substantial cache of arms and equipment', including seven AK-47 assault rifles, three machine guns, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and other weapons, the statement added.
The pirates were from Somalia and Yemen, two countries surrounding the Gulf of Aden.
Somali pirates have become increasingly brazen in recent months, seizing a number of vessels including a Saudi supertanker loaded with US$100million (S$149million) worth of oil.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told a regional security conference in Bahrain yesterday that the US lacks the intelligence needed to pursue the fight against pirates on Somali soil. His comments came days after the US delegation at the United Nations circulated a draft resolution that would give countries the right to pursue pirates on land as well as at sea.
Analysts say pursuing pirates on land is crucial to any military response to attacks that have targeted dozens of ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean in recent months. The attacks have pushed up insurance costs and have earned Somali pirates tens of millions of dollars in ransom, prompting foreign navies to rush to protect merchant shipping.
A Kenyan maritime official yesterday said Somali pirates had released a Greek chemical tanker seized in October but three crew members were feared dead.
AP, Reuters, AFP <!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><!-- Current Ratings : end --><!-- vbbintegration : start --><!-- vbbintegration : end --><!-- dennis change request 20070424 : start --><!---Google ad - Start : Sun, 14 Dec 2008 03:22:02:837---><!-- AdSpace STI Google ad tag --><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://ads.asia1.com.sg/js.ng/site=tsti&pagepos=20&size=10X10"> </SCRIPT>