Somali Navy Begins Anti-Piracy Operations

Admiral Farah Ahmed, who commands the Somali government’s navy, said Sunday that Somali naval forces will start anti-piracy operations off the country's coast, the second longest in Africa, where pirates have increased their attacks to seize vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean shipping lanes.

A lot of new Somali naval forces were trained and ready to begin operations to fight with Somali pirates,” Ahmed told a local radio station, adding that many coast guard crews would be trained. He said the navy will focus on defending resources of Somali coasts from illegal fishing vessels and on maintaining security.

Warships from the United States, Britain, Japan, France and other countries have been patrolling waters off Somali in an anti-piracy task force, but have been unable to uproot the problem of piracy. Somali pirates continue to operate.

The international community has been focused on training Somali ground forces--military and police--to defend the weak Western-backed government from the powerful Al Qaeda-linked group Al Shabaab. But Somalia’s naval forces are newly coalesced forces and it is unknown how they can prevent the surge of pirate attacks.

The statement by the head of the Somali navy comes as world sailors called for global action against Somali pirates.

Source: slashnews.co.uk