Somalia - US Navy Exchanges Gunfire With Suspected Pirates

Created by doina. Last modified on 2009-01-21 19:50:10
Contributors:
Topic: Piracy Reports 2006

News agencies reported at the weekend that two U.S. Navy ships exchanged gunfire with suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia on Saturday March 18, killing one and wounding five. The battle occurred at about 5:40 a.m. local time, about 25 nautical miles off the Somali coast in international waters.

At the time, the USS Cape St. George, a guided missile cruiser, and the USS Gonzalez, a guided missile destroyer, were conducting maritime security operations as part of a Dutch-led task force.

They observed a 30-foot fishing boat towing smaller skiffs and prepared to board and inspect the vessels. The naval boarding team noticed the men were armed with what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenade launchers. The suspected pirates opened fire and the US warships returned fire with small arms. Several suspects were taken into custody.

On March 15, the U.N. Security Council encouraged naval forces operating off Somalia to take action against suspected piracy as pirates have been targetting ships from the U.N. World Food Programme carrying relief to the millions of people affected by the drought in east Africa.

Yachts making the passage from Salalah to Djibouti or Aden have reported that US and French airplanes have been conducting daily surveillance of the area, and the international forces are listening on VHF 16 and will respond to any calls.