Somali pirates 'seize 30 tanks'

[nuune]

^^ Good question, some of the Tanks Maxkamadaha ayaa laga iibini, some dowlad goboleedka puntland, some will go to isbaarooyinka, and the rest waa la iibinaa suuq madoow to Somaliland

[SayidSomal]

^^as long as it does not fall on the hands of General Duke

[Sir-Qalbi-Adeyg]

This is great news, the 'vigilantes of the seas' are protecting somali waters from illegal trawlers, and ships dumping toxic waste.

[Qorax]

Haddii wax la iga maqlayo waxaan dhihi lahaa Xassan Turki haloo diro iyo maxkamadaha, koleey raggaasi ma kaxayn karaane marka ha ka iibsadaan eritrea ama haku soo badasheen RPG iwm.

[Allamagan]

Waw!! Considering the huge presence of warships along the coastal line, the guys challenged them all and took the game to another world record level this time. Now that all eyez on them I wonder how they will play out the game, will they empty the whole ship for anything value or will they drive a hard bargain. Or is it just another alla approche française!

[Fabregas]

quote:Ukraine insisted the deal was "in accordance with international law", and said that the weapons had been sold to Kenya, which it said had already received 77 T-72 tanks from Ukraine in 2007. The Kenyan government later issued a statement confirming that it had purchased the cargo aboard the MV Faina for its military forces.

[Centurion]

Considering how rogue and not so rogue ships have been taking advantage of our territorial waters, it's a welcome change.

And they are effective; hundreds of foreign fishing boats are stranded in Mauritius, and they're doing wonders for the local economy

 

Only problem is, sooner rather than later they will bite off more than they can chew (in fact the 30 tanks they've helped themselves to might already be the last straw), and then the West's reluctance to commit troops into the Horn will cease.

 

 

Not bad eh?

[Cara.]

^LOL. Really nice. Unfortunately others would probably think it's a fitting flag for the whole nation.

 

Has there been any effect on delivery of food aid? Is it mostly by air and land?

[dhulQarnayn]

Originally posted by Cara:

^LOL. Really nice. Unfortunately others would probably think it's a fitting flag for the whole nation.

 

Has there been any effect on delivery of food aid? Is it mostly by air and land?

Cara, our venerable pirates waa niman nasab ah, and do not target ships carrying caano boore for our Somali IDPs. However, wixii fasax la'aan kumarah, our territorial waters, GANAAX un baan u jareenaa

 

 

dhulQarnayn :cool:

Republic Of California

 

 

 

p.s

 

Centurion...Am loving this flag. However, could you please also include beneath the Skull-N-Bones, the Kalimah...

[AYOUB]

As deplorable as piracy is, arms dealing (especially the ones flooding Africa with weapons) is even worse. I wish Puntland's navy good luck on this occasion.

[dhulQarnayn]

^^^Lol@Puntland's Navy!

 

dhulQarnayn :cool:

Republic Of California

[Buuxo]

War inagaa wax aragney,tuugnimo baa sharaf noqotey oo waliba spokesperson yeelatey.When will somalis stop glorifying the behaviour of mad-men?

 

Check their pics here shocking walaahi...they are not your usual jaad-crazed faraaxs,xaraan bey ku heeysataan badaa iyo dulkaba.

[Sophist]

US destroyer nears Somali pirates

USS Howard (Picture from USS Howard website)

The USS Howard is one of several vessels in the area

 

A US navy destroyer has made visual contact with a Ukrainian ship which was seized by Somali pirates last week and is now moored off the town of Hobyo.

 

There is no indication that the USS Howard is about to approach the MV Faina, which is carrying 33 T-72 battle tanks destined for Kenya's government.

 

A Russian navy vessel is also heading towards the region.

 

The pirates have reportedly demanded a ransom of $35m (£19m) to release the Ukrainian vessel and its crew.

 

But the Kenyan government has cast doubt on the report, saying it had not been issued with ransom demands.

 

The pirates also warned against any attempt to rescue the crew or cargo of the ship.

 

The US 5th Fleet is patrolling the area.

 

Deputy spokesperson Lt Nathan Christensen told the BBC USS Howard was within five miles (8km) from the stricken Ukrainian vessel, but refused to say whether an intervention was likely.

 

He said negotiations were continuing between the pirates and the owners of the Faina.

 

International concern

 

In an interview with the BBC, one of the pirates, Januna Ali Jama, claiming to be speaking on their behalf, said they were prepared to negotiate with the Kenyan government, but that would not release the MV Faina unless the ransom was paid.

 

 

Map

 

Battles and looting in Mogadishu

Life in Somalia's pirate town

 

"We are warning France and others who are thinking of carrying out a rescue that we have the power to reach them wherever they are," he said.

 

"We are demanding a ransom of at least $35m."

 

Later, in a tersely-worded statement, a spokesman for the Kenyan government said they had not received any credible demands for a ransom to release the ship.

 

He went on to say that the government would not negotiate with what it called international criminals, pirates and terrorists, and said efforts to recover the hijacked ship and its cargo would continue.

 

The BBC's Karen Allen, in Nairobi, says there is constant monitoring of the international waters off the coast of Somalia - considered some of the world's most dangerous waters.

 

'Big business'

 

On Friday, Ukrainian Defence Minister Yury Yekhanurov confirmed that 33 Russian T-72 tanks and "a substantial quantity of ammunition" were aboard the MV Faina.

 

Ukraine's foreign ministry said the ship had a crew of 21 and was sailing towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

 

Authorities in Somalia's semi-autonomous region of Puntland say they are powerless to confront the pirates, who regularly hold ships for ransom at the port of Eyl.

 

Faina, the seized ship (Pic: Digital Seas.com)

The MV Faina was carrying a shipment of battle tanks destined for Kenya

 

Senior UN officials estimate the ransoms pirates earn from hijacking ships exceed $100m (£54m) a year.

 

Pirate "mother ships" travel far out to sea and launch smaller boats to attack passing vessels, sometimes using rocket-propelled grenades.

 

Last week, France circulated a draft UN resolution urging states to deploy naval vessels and aircraft to combat such piracy.

 

France, which has troops in nearby Djibouti and also participates in a multi-national naval force patrol in the area, has intervened twice to release French sailors kidnapped by pirates.

 

Commandos freed two people whose boat was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden earlier this month and in April, six arrested pirates were handed over to the French authorities for trial.

 

Somalia has been without a functioning central government for 17 years and has suffered from continual civil strife.

[me]

Originally posted by B_G:

quote:Ukraine insisted the deal was "in accordance with international law", and said that the weapons had been sold to Kenya, which it said had already received 77 T-72 tanks from Ukraine in 2007. The Kenyan government later issued a statement confirming that it had purchased the cargo aboard the MV Faina for its military forces.

What is Kenya going to do with armour like that?

 

77 T72? and then another 30?

[peasant]

^ The somali invasion sends a bell to every smart neighbor of ethiopia. Wouldnt you be concerned if you shared a border with menace like Meles? Ahaa I am sure you do. Not to mention behavioral biologist long suggested, that baboons in the wild dont yawn for nonsense but rather do it deliberately, just to show off its long teeth to the predators.