Somali Pirates Flee Al-Qaida Affiliates, Hostages in Tow

With the fate of a frail country and the lives of hundreds of innocent hostages on the line, two warring Islamic groups and a band of 21st century pirates are battling for control of a remote port town on the coast of Somalia.

The conflict kicked off Sunday, when a group of Islamic militants known as Al-Shabaab apparently entered the Somali pirate stronghold of Harardhere, only to retreat soon thereafter. Reports from inside the remote town suggest that the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamma militia group, which recently signed a peace agreement with Somalia's government, has been fending off Al-Shabaab's advances.

So where does that leave the pirates? They're probably gone, says Roger Middleton, a Somalia expert at Chatham House, a U.K. think tank. "They're not particularly tied to one place or another," he tells AOL News.


Mohamed Sheikh Nor, AP
Two Islamic militant groups, Al-Shabaab and Ahlu Sunna Wal Jamma, as well as a band of pirates, are fighting for control of Harardhere, a port town on Somalia's coast. Here, newly trained Al-Shabaab fighters patrol the streets of Somalia.
Numerous headline-making incidents, including last year's daring rescue of Capt. Richard Philips and the Maersk Alabama, have brought the piracy problem to worldwide attention. Attacks are generally down this year, but the Somali pirates have proved resilient. They still hold 15 ships and more than 300 hostages, and the loss of a single stronghold won't halt their activities, as Middleton says that they have proved to be flexible in the past. Harardhere isn't their only home -- not long ago, the pirates were based farther north in a town called Eyl.

The battle on shore will most likely prompt them to return to the north, Middleton suggests. If they linger off the coast of Harardhere, they risk losing supply lines from their captured vessels to the shore, should Al-Shabaab take control of the town. A report in the Guardian says that the Al-Shabaab advance has already incited the pirates to sail on from Harardhere to another pirate-friendly port, Hobyo.

Either way, Middleton says, most of the hostages will likely remain away from the battle, out on the boats. "Because they're on a boat it ought to be easier for the pirates to move them away from the conflict," he notes.

While that could complicate negotiations for their release, Middleton says, those hostages held on shore, such as the British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler, are in a much more dangerous situation. The leader of the pirate gang that is holding the couple has said he would leave them to Al-Shabaab if necessary.

Middleton worries that another potential victim of this battle will be Somalia itself. Al-Shabaab has been linked to al-Qaida, and control of Harardhere would represent a significant advance for the group. "If they manage to establish a foothold much further north in the country, further north than they've been before, then you start to look at Al-Shabaab threatening the more stable institutions in Somalia," Middleton says. "That would be very worrying, regardless of piracy."

Source; aolnews.com