Tuesday, 15 May 2012
The EU extended its counter-piracy operation off the coast
of Somalia by two years in March, until December 2014, and expanded the
area it covers to include the coastline itself. (Reuters)
European naval aircraft fired at pirate-owned supplies on the Somali coastline Tuesday for the first time since the European Union authorized such strikes.
“The focused, precise and proportionate action was conducted from the air and all forces returned safely to EU warships on completion,” the EU’s naval mission said in a statement, adding that initial surveillance had indicated that no Somalis had been wounded as a result of the attack.
“Whilst assessment is on-going, surveillance of the area during the action indicates that no Somalis were injured ashore as a result of EU action,” the statement said.
The strike on what the EU force said was “on known pirate supplies” came four days after Somali pirates hijacked a Greek-owned oil tanker carrying close to a million barrels of crude oil in the Arabian Sea.
“We believe this action by the EU
Naval Force will further increase the pressure on, and disrupt pirates’
efforts to get out to sea to attack merchant shipping and dhows,”
Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Rear Admiral Duncan Potts,
said in a statement.
The operation targeted pirate equipment but the statement did not specify the nature of the target or the exact location of the strike.
The EU’s Operation Atalanta has deployed between five and 10 warships off the Somali coast since 2008 to escort humanitarian aid shipments and thwart pirate raids on commercial vessels using vital shipping lanes.
The EU extended its counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia by two years in March, until December 2014, and expanded the area it covers to include the coastline itself.
Officials have said that the new mandate would allow warships or aircraft to fire at fuel barrels, boats, trucks or other equipment stowed on beaches.
The EU hopes such strikes will destroy pirates’ boats and fuel dumps, making it harder for them to operate.
Somalia-based pirates have raked in millions of dollars in ransoms in what has become a highly organized, international criminal enterprise, security analysts say.
Despite successful efforts to stem attacks in the Gulf of Aden shipping lane, international navies have struggled to contain piracy in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea due to the vast distances involved
The operation targeted pirate equipment but the statement did not specify the nature of the target or the exact location of the strike.
The EU’s Operation Atalanta has deployed between five and 10 warships off the Somali coast since 2008 to escort humanitarian aid shipments and thwart pirate raids on commercial vessels using vital shipping lanes.
The EU extended its counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia by two years in March, until December 2014, and expanded the area it covers to include the coastline itself.
Officials have said that the new mandate would allow warships or aircraft to fire at fuel barrels, boats, trucks or other equipment stowed on beaches.
The EU hopes such strikes will destroy pirates’ boats and fuel dumps, making it harder for them to operate.
Somalia-based pirates have raked in millions of dollars in ransoms in what has become a highly organized, international criminal enterprise, security analysts say.
Despite successful efforts to stem attacks in the Gulf of Aden shipping lane, international navies have struggled to contain piracy in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea due to the vast distances involved
No comments:
Post a Comment