The Emergence of ‘Sky Pirates’ in Desperate Somalia

[UZTAAD]

by Yusuf M. Hassan**

Friday, November 13, 2009

 

 

 

Diyaarada way afduuban tahay. The four words, screamed by a mad man wielding a pistol in mid-air, are etched into my memory like lyrics in a veteran singer’s mind. This plane is hijacked.

 

 

 

 

It was Monday, November 2, 2009, and I was inside the new terminal building at Bender Qassim International Airport, located in the Gulf of Aden port city of Bossaso, the commercial hub of Puntland region in fragmented Somalia. We went through ordinary airport proceedings: I checked in one large bag, which was thoroughly searched by uninformed airport staff in my presence, and then proceeded to the Puntland Immigration Department (PID) office with two small carry-on bags. Two soldiers stood guard in front of the PID office and they politely asked me to place my bags atop a wooden table. As one soldier searched the contents of my bags – and even asked me to turn on my Sony laptop! – the second soldier kept a watchful eye of his surroundings and the short line of travelers forming behind me. Ordinarily, as a frequent traveler, I have long ago seized the intense urge to complain about the wearisome and repetitive searches at airports wherever I go, and the airport in Bossaso was no exception.

 

 

 

 

In the following minutes, I passed through the PID office, where my American passport was run through an automated system, which I was informed is linked to Interpol in a global search for suspects and fugitives, before being told to pay the US$20 exit fee to the airport cashier. As this mundane procedure takes place, my mind is preoccupied by thoughts and plans for the coming days and weeks, after I safely return home to the States. Naturally, my worst fear is the old propeller airplanes that fly between Somalia and the neighboring Republic of Djibouti, a transit point on my way to Dubai. Least in my head, of course, is the possibility of a hijacked plane.

 

 

 

 

The first bullet goes off. It leaves a deafening noise inside the plane, subdued only by the screams of four Somali passenger ladies in the front of the plane. Moments before that, when the taller hijacker – clearly the more violent of the two gunmen – rose up with a pistol in the air to scream the dreaded words, “Diyaaradda way afduuban tahay,” I had looked across the aisle to my right, where Daallo Airlines flight attendant Mohamed Deeq was sitting, to ask him the ****** question: “What is he doing?” Mohamed Deeq sunk deeper into his seat and whispered back, in a voice that filled me with terror, to confirm that indeed this was a hijacking. A million-and-one thoughts and questions buzzed in my head. Where are the parachutes? What do these hijackers want? Are they terrorists? How will the my family and the world remember me, long after my body is covered in a neat white cloth in an Islamic burial with prayers to Allah Almighty for His Forgiveness and Mercy?

 

 

 

 

In Arabic, silently and repeatedly, I recite the shahadah –“I testify that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” It is the earliest thing I learned growing up in a Muslim family. In times of panic, I find an irreplaceable comfort and refuge in these few words that the protection of artillery guns and well-trained soldiers cannot offer. In the middle of that chaos, I take a deep breath and order my heart and mind to accept death, for we must all face it one day. Subconsciously, I was seeking any possible exit from the plane of death.

 

 

 

The second bullet goes off, again blasting at the pilots’ door. The women and children’s screams continue to terrorize everyone on board – including the hijackers themselves! One woman in particular, who ran towards the back where we frighteningly watched the horrifying scene unfold, kept shrieking near my right ear, deepening the extent of panic within me and fuelling my screams for everyone to remain in their seats. Keeping the delicate balance on the plane in mid-air would be a key component of any chance of surviving a deadly crash. An older Somali man, whom I was later told owns a hotel in Bossaso, recognized the taller hijacker and referred to him by his first name, “Faisal.” I would never find out how the hotel owner personally knew Faisal, but during those horrific minutes I shared with 27 other passengers and three crewmen, it was a fortunate coincidence that helped confuse the hijackers in moments of pitched screams, cries and prayers.

 

 

 

Mohamed Deeq was singled out as a member of the flight crew. The hijackers ordered him to speak with the Russian pilots and to land the airplane in Las Qorey, a small coastal town west of Bossaso. The hijackers say they wanted to take two hostages – German journalists on board the plane – and that the rest of us Somalis would be set free in Las Qorey. Desperate criminals risked all our lives to kidnap foreigners for ransom and to satisfy their lustful impulses and habits fuelled by dollars and produced by an environment in Somalia where decades of political collapse, lawlessness and violence has helped erode the standards of an ordinary civilization.

 

 

 

But true heroes rise up to challenges, especially in moments marked by panic and absolute terror when the life of innocent persons is at risk. However reluctant, Mohamed Deeq stands up and walks down the aisle towards the hijackers. There is a small doorframe located between the passenger seats section and the pilots’ door. Later, Mohamed Deeq would inform me that he spoke in Russian with the pilots through the door, telling them of the the two armed hijackers asking to be taken to Las Qorey. But he told the pilots to return to Bossaso. They agreed and told him to be careful.

 

 

 

The ground was very close. Maybe so close that my mind toys around with the idea of jumping off. But one of the hijackers, the violent Faisal, recognizes that we are back at Bossaso’s airport. With Mohamed Deeq still standing there, Faisal fires bullets number three and number four at the pilots’ door. I can see Mohamed Deeq is ducking low to avoid the bullets. He grabs a wooden doorframe and places it between himself and the hijacker, who places his elongated hand over the wooden doorframe and fires bullet number five. The plane seems to shift left and right, the panicky passengers scream in unison in a tone filled with terror and desperation. There is a brief struggle at the front between them, with Mohamed Deeq trying to grab the hijacker’s gun but failing. The pilots fly the plane up higher now, away from the ground, as if we are on our way to Djibouti. In minutes, my heart begins to tremble as we begin flying over the sea. Later, I would understand that it was the pilots’ clever attempt to trick the hijackers by pretending to fly towards Las Qorey. At least, this attempt stopped the dreaded sound of gunshots in mid-air.

 

 

 

I look at the second hijacker, searching his face for a reaction, but he has a stunned expression on his face and looks as afraid and clueless as the loudest shrieking voice in the airplane. Somehow, Mohamed Deeq manages to talk some sense into the hijacker, Faisal – who temporarily withdraws the gun and allows the Daallo Airlines employee to walk away, towards us in the very backseat. A big-body guy volunteers to break-down the door. Another man suggests that Faisal use the side of the gun to knock-down the pilots’ door. The women scream, begging the hijackers, asking the shorter hijacker: “Do you not fear Allah?” In those moments of panic, the hijacker’s reply was as surprising as the hijacking itself: “Yes, I fear Allah,” he replies. He then recites the shahadah.

 

 

 

Remember, the second hijacker never fired a bullet or even raised his gun at the passengers. He simply stood in the front seat, left side of the aisle, and eyed the dangerous situation with apprehension and a shared fear of destiny.

 

 

 

If this thing touches the ground, I am jumping off. This was the thought that dominated my mind in the moments before the pilots expertly landed the plane back at Bender Qassim International Airport in Bossaso. As passengers, we kept screaming at the hijackers, especially Faisal, who had grown more nervous and was jumping between one window to the next, seeking a ground sign for confirmation. “This is Las Qorey,” was the common chant. We said repeatedly it. I believed it was Las Qorey. The only reason I looked out the window was to estimate the distance to the ground. Once this airplane lands, I am jumping off. Las Qorey or not.

 

 

 

Faisal, the hijacker, gets on his mobile phone. From the question he asked, I knew who he was talking to: Do you see us? He was speaking to an armed gang waiting in Las Qorey to take the two German journalists as hostages, hide them in remote mountains and demand ransom worth millions of U.S. dollars. We kept screaming that the plane was going to crash on the ground. These screams helped confuse the hijackers, until the shorter one finally sat down to prepare for a rough landing. Faisal kept screaming on the phone over the plane’s engine blare and the passengers’ riotous shrieks and looking out the window, seeking a sign…until he saw one.

 

 

 

“Ba’aa, waa Boosaaso,” he says. Oh no, it’s Bossaso. The airplane’s tires touch the ground gently and the pilots were slowing down with incredible expertise and steadiness. Thinking fast, I knew the hijacker wanted to rush to the back, to hold everyone at gunpoint, and perhaps order the pilots to take off again. I look to my right, at Mohamed Deeq. Jump, I whisper. I don’t remember exactly the following moments. There was hardly a second between the moment Mohamed Deeq gets up from his seat, that I followed. It took him half-a-second to pry open the backdoor. Neither Mohamed Deeq nor I used the metal stairs that automatically fold down. Neither Mohamed Deeq nor I waited for the airplane to come to a complete standstill. We both jumped out. I would later feel plenty of pain in my right foot and upper leg.

 

 

 

Once on the ground, I see the first soldier. He is creeping up, AK-47 assault rifle at the ready, eyeing me suspiciously. I raise my hands in the air and scream at him in Somali: They are inside. Two guys with guns. Shoot them. I rush behind him, so that I can get a view of the airplane and avoid being shot in any possible crossfire. A girl jumps out. Followed by Faisal, the hijacker. He is unarmed. The second hijacker jumps out, throws his gun in the sand. Mohamed Deeq sneaks up on the shorter hijacker from behind and knocks him down.

 

 

 

I see the soldiers are confused. My body is shaking with unimaginable rage. I rush towards Faisal, who is attempting to run away on foot. I find myself punching him, an exhilarating adrenaline rush surging through my veins with the force of the Asian tsunami. Later that night, safe and sound at my hotel in Dubai, I would feel regret for attacking the hijackers, who later became victims of the passengers. Puntland’s laws should be enough punishment for such dangerous criminals.

 

 

 

We survived. Alxamdulillah – Praise Allah.

 

 

 

Poverty in Somalia is breeding desperation. The failed hijacking of the Daallo Airlines flight is the first case of ‘sky piracy’ – evidently, the hijackers are members of pirate gangs. Somali pirates have profited tremendously from generous ransoms collected since an extraordinary spike in sea piracy since 2007. Generally, these gangs consist of young men who came to age in a world of lawlessness and desperation, and join the profit-seeking gangs hoping to hit the jackpot and emerge out of poverty.

 

 

 

The Puntland government’s crackdown on pirates on land, combined with NATO-led naval patrols off the Somali coast, has helped reduce the number of pirate attacks from the levels of 2007. However, these gangs continue to conduct spectacular hijackings in the high seas, notwithstanding the international naval warships on patrol. These attacks are fuelled by the ground situation in Somalia – a country that is politically fragmented, parts of which have been paralyzed by chronic insecurity to the point where Nairobi, Kenya, is the international community’s point of operations for Somalia for nearly two decades. The extreme poverty and lack of direction on the ground fuels desperate acts by armed youth, seeking opportunity in a land of destroyed dreams, plundered potential and helpless households.

 

 

 

The world’s effort against piracy should adopt a comprehensive approach that deals with the root causes of pirate attacks – not just tackling the after-effects, such as a military standoff whenever pirates hijack a foreign vessel and the subsequent drama until the ransom is paid.

 

 

 

A comprehensive approach would seek a political settlement for the disintegration and political collapse experienced in Somalia since 1991. A genuine political settlement, that at least satisfies the majority of Somali stakeholders, would pave the way for the gradual restoration of security and the opening of educational and economic opportunities for the young Somalis who are despairingly drawn to acts of piracy, terrorism and other forms of criminality. Provided with security and economic opportunities, coastal communities would spearhead the fight against pirates feeding off the public sentiment that Somali territorial waters have been violated by foreign trawlers, who are accused of illegal fishing and toxic waste dumping.

 

 

 

However, if the current trajectory of pursuing temporary military-based solutions to piracy is followed, I fear that the continued desperation in Somalia will ultimately inspire new trends of insecurity that continue to threaten global and regional interests.

 

 

 

In a country like Somalia, where guns are abundant and poverty breeds desperation, the emergence of sky pirates should not come to us as a surprise.

 

http://www.hiiraan.com/op2/2009/nov/the_emergence_of_sky_pirates_in_desperate_somalia.aspx

[Qudhac]

waar fulaysanaa kani :eek:

[The Zack]

In Arabic, silently and repeatedly, I recite the shahadah –“I testify that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

Ninku si fiican buu u cabsaday.

[Peace Action]

As passengers, we kept screaming at the hijackers, especially Faisal, who had grown more nervous and was jumping between one window to the next, seeking a ground sign for confirmation.

 

The hero is Mohammed Deeq and the screaming passengers who confused the hijakers until they landed back in BQ airport. Thank God no one was hurt and the hijakers are in custody.

[The Zack]

The hijackers' intention was to take and kidnap the foreigners and ask for ransom. Wax weynba nimanku meysan rabin, if they were real hijackers they would've shot two or three passengers to shut them up.

[UZTAAD]

lool, yaan cabsadeen

 

it is interesting account

[Xudeedi]

Even though the author’s intentions might have been otherwise, his message and style of oration pointed to un-necessary elements I would have not expect from Faroole’s nephew. His portrayal of Laasqoray as a village is misleading,

inaccurate and clearly translates his lack of knowledge on the regions his uncle governs. Laasqoray hosts 3 of the largest factories in Puntland (One of the largest Tuna factories in East Africa, Largest beverage brand in Somalia “Ilo Tango”, and a cement plant) and is home to Horn Relief largest Somali managed NGO.

 

Aside from his ill-bred assumptions, he purposely linked gangsters and piracy to a city that is in process of constructing a jetty through local initiatives and international funding. Laasqoray enjoys a reputation of peace and stability; surely the author might have confused it with Eyl (Pirate Hub).

 

Here is a responce following ina farooles assumptions.

 

http://www.dhahar.com/article.php?articleid=8456

[Xudeedi]

The Hijacking of a Daallo Airline and its political and security implications for Las Qoray city

 

The hijacking news of a Daallo Airline en route to D-jibouti from Bosaso comes at a time of high hopes and value expectancies for the economic transformation of the city of Las Qoray because of its planned port reconstruction phases I & II, by Horn Relief and Development. Las Qoray a once industrial town dominated the economic spotlight in the Northeastern regions of Somalia for decades.

 

The author of "The Emergence of Sky Pirates," published at hiiraan.com, dated Nov 13, who unfortunately found himself in a hostage situation gives us a vivid and haunting description of this seemingly extraordinary event. And we thank him for his weal of generosity to share with us this diary along with a twist of his policy recommendation for the chronic poverty and unemployment that perpetuate such recurring incidents of ransom kidnappings and Piracy in Puntland. The author, once the editor of the privately owned news portal GaroweOnline and speechwriter for Faroole's electoral campaign in Puntland is quite unjust in his remarks, which taunt the city as a small remote coastal town that is a major hub for sea and "sky pirates".

 

Following the coverage of this event, to which some appropriated it to their own political advantage, the incident availed itself like assembled materials necessary for presentation to the court by a hired solicitor for his barrister. It initimates clues as to how the whole incident was premeditated and plotted to yield a maximum effect. Or in actual context, the merchantibility of such extraordinary event to the world appears to ready itself for those with sinister ulterior motives, thusly aborting any genuine humanitarian assistance and altraustic local efforts that are either promised or afforded to the Las Qorey/Sanag community. How pernicious is that the hijackers were successful to conceal their weapons from the Puntland Immigration Department (PID)---an agency under the Department of Interior Mr. Yusuf looks to its laurels as to how his foreign passport was scanned by an "automated system" connected to INTERPOL, an international police organization?

 

Ever since the Las Qorey Port project was initiated to gain a local and Diasport support, the role for greedy, power-seeking elites has intensified to a center stage and both Puntland and Somaliland, in fact, played an active, behind-the-scene role to kill that Sanag communal spirit and strive to rectify the unfair situation of deprivation their regions' population have endured after a long absence of public and economic infrastructure. it is one of the sad phenomenon of Somalia's ethnic wars that an elite group, under the impression that such humanitarian projects might diminish their political and economic influence, would be instrumental in doing everything they can to ensure that such lofty humanitarian effort fails or is not actualized, regardless of the hundreds of thousands of people whose source of livelihoods for the better depend on Las Qoray Port.

 

Six months prior to the launch of the construction of Phase I, after which the sponsoring agency released transparent public information on the positve results of environemental, technical and economic feasibility studies, major criminal networks of high-seas piracy with deep links to authorities in Puntland have emerged to inflict a final blow to the security in the region. A sophisticated criminal network with foreign agents in the UAI has completely reversed the good reputation the region had in "fragmented Somalia". Had it not for the rise of Punland Piracy, the relative political stability of the regions of Sanag and Bari that had been formed by the locals would have enabled the region to achieve a rapid accumulation of direct investment and social development projects.

 

According to a recent interview Fatima Jibrell gave to Laasqoray.org, the project manager of Las Qoray port, both Puntland and Somaliland had created a "huge obstacle" as their authorization was saught. Fatima, however, applauds both entities (in political correctness terms) for their final authorization. The Relief agency is registered in both regions to avoid further obstacles for the social services it provides to thousands of families in Sanaag, Sool, Bari regions. Nevertheless, it marks fierce economic competition between the elites (warlords in reality) with ties to non-state actors over the exploitation of Somalia's land and marine resources. How else to explain, then, that it took only "security" as a sufficient condition for the realization of this project. In other words, Puntland's high-seas robbery not only painted a bleak prospect for the swift actualization of this seminal work but it contributed to its termination, much less for the lies and clannish deciet that Puntland had been built on.

 

All in all, I shall leave my commment to this historic statement of Dr. Ali A. Fatah in his open letter to the 'Makhiris marooned in Hargeisa' with regards to the dire situation the regions of Sanag and western Bari are currently in.

 

"The take away point is this: our forefathers chose dignity over expediency. But it is our recent generations that have become awfully weak at the knees, when it comes to questions of honor and waajib concerning the community. Today we can safely identify the culprits that brought about the current malaise in which the community lacks basic technology and capital to make efficient use of available resources independently they are none other than our generation—the elites of the community, with our inability to outline much less effect a framework informed by the imperative for unity of purpose. That the resultant socio-economic and political underdevelopment would be further exacerbated by the lack of functional infrastructure facilities was known to all for a long time."

 

Mohamed A. Elmi

[Xudeedi]

^ Oodweyne

 

Adeer you write too formal for your lack of comprehension. I have repeatedly demonstrated to you that Makhir is a constituency part of the greater Puntland. As stakeholders, Makhiri’s have every right to criticize the flaws in order to correct and direct the policies and individuals with administrative titles.

 

Today, the power balance in Puntland has improved as all SOL members can clearly see the weight of General Ilka Jiir and other high portfolio Makhiri ministers. So again, Makhiri’s are integral part of Puntland as demonstrated by Garaad C/aahi Cali Ciid ( a Makhiri) on BBC in his support for Faroole. I was never quoted to differentiate between Burco and Hargaisa so why do you bother to try to divide Laasqoray and Eyl? Same family adeer.

[Dhagax-Tuur]

"waar fulaysanaa kani "

 

Waar dadkani maxay faan meesha ku hayaan. Awalbaa horey loo yidhi, 'habar fadhidaa lagdan la fududaa', waa un maah maahe, I don't mean the 'habar' in the maah maah to be you, before you jump the gun.

 

Flying those dreadful planes is risk, let alone being hijacked in one. I've flown them few times, I am no fan at all. Everytime I take them, which of course, is necessary, I question my sanity.

 

 

1. You don't know how they're maintained, standards and rigours in place.

 

2. You even wonder if they're air-worthy once you set eyes on them.

3. And once inside, it's totally different thing altogether. You would be thinking, 'this ain't for people, barely fit for animals'.

 

So, being hijacked on that plane, by two loonies is very tragic.....