British commandos kill two pirates in stand-off
• Suspects on Yemeni dhow shot dead after firing first •
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article5141745.ece
Clash followed earlier attack on Danish shipRichard Norton-Taylor and Tom Parfitt in Moscow guardian.co.uk, Thursday November 13 2008 00.01 GMT The Guardian, Thursday November 13 2008 Article historyBritish commandos killed two suspected pirates who tried to seize a Danish ship in the Gulf of Aden during an unprecedented operation involving a Royal Navy and a Russian warship, it was revealed yesterday.
The suspected pirates were shot after the Royal Marine commandos, in rigid inflatable boats launched from the frigate HMS Cumberland, were fired at from a Yemeni flagged dhow, the Ministry of Defence said.
The Cumberland had been conducting routine Nato security operations in the Gulf of Aden, the MoD said, when a number of its crew boarded the dhow, which was towing a skiff.
The British crew “had reason to believe” the dhow had been involved in an armed attack on the Danish-registered vessel, the MV Powerful, earlier on Tuesday, the day of the gunfight. “Various non-forcible methods had been used in an attempt to stop the dhow but they were unsuccessful,” the MoD said.
The inflatables were launched to circle the dhow in an attempt to encourage it to stop. People on the dhow fired at the British commandos, who returned fire in self-defence, the MoD added.
It said the dhow crew subsequently surrendered and a boarding followed. Two of its crew, believed to be pirates, had been shot and killed. The MoD said the boarding operation, which took place south of the Yemeni coast, was conducted in accordance with British rules of engagement.
A Yemeni national was found injured and later died, despite receiving emergency treatment. The MoD said it was unclear whether his injuries were as a result of the gunfight or a previous incident. “A post-shooting incident investigation is currently being conducted,” an MoD spokesman said last night.
Igor Dygalo, the Russian navy’s chief spokesman, said the Russian frigate… Neustrashimy… (Fearless) was also involved in Tuesday’s operation.
“The pirates fired on the Danish craft with automatic weapons and tried twice to seize it,” he said. The Neustrashimy had been escorting another Danish vessel when it was called to help.
This year at least 32 ships have been hijacked in the area. A multinational naval force including US, British and German warships is patrolling the waters off Somalia in an attempt to provide security for commercial ships, many of them destined for the Suez canal. The Neustrashimy joined the effort last month.
US warships from the 5th Fleet are still surrounding the MV Faina, a Ukrainian ship captured off Somalia by pirates demanding a $5m ransom on September 25. The ship was reportedly transporting 33 T-72 tanks as well as other arms to Kenya. The crew - 17 Ukrainian nationals, two Russians and one Lithuanian - yesterday managed to send an email to a journal in Kiev saying they were running out of fuel, water and food. “The last warning of the soldiers [pirates] is that if the ransom demands are not satisfied the cargo and crew will be destroyed,” wrote the captives.
: