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Post by ferryfast admin on Mar 18, 2006 23:55:28 GMT -5
U.S. warships capture pirates off Somali coast
Last Updated Sat, 18 Mar 2006 19:59:19 EST
CBC News www.cbc.ca/
Two U.S. navy warships attacked and captured a group of Somali pirates Saturday, leaving one suspect dead and five wounded.
Twelve suspects were taken into custody after the early-morning shootout, said U.S. navy spokesman Lt.-Cmdr. Charlie Brown.
No U.S. sailors were wounded in the battle, which occurred early in the morning off the Somali coast in international waters.
Brown said the battle started when two U.S. guided-missile ships spotted a nine-metre fishing boat towing smaller skiffs.
Sailors from the USS Cape St. George and USS Gonzalez were preparing to board the fishing boat when they saw the suspected pirates holding what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenade launchers. When the suspects began shooting, naval gunners returned fire with mounted machine guns.
The International Maritime Organization has warned ships to stay away from the Somali coast after pirates attacked 35 ships last year, making it the most dangerous marine location in the world for piracy.
The pirates generally use speedboats to steal merchandise, sometimes holding the ship and its crew at gunpoint and then demand ransoms before they are released.
Last year, a group of heavily armed pirates attacked a luxury cruise ship. They left when the crew scared them off with an ear-splitting acoustic device, a non-lethal but highly effective weapon.
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