U.S. Navy plans to chase, capture Somali pirates

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy plans an aggressive effort to capture pirates off the coast of Somalia with the aid of a country in the region that would agree to prosecute and hold them, a naval commander said on Thursday. U.S. Navy Vice Adm. William Gortney, commander of the U.S. 5th Fleet, said the United States is nearing a deal with an unidentified country that would agree to take the pirates into custody once captured by U.S. forces in Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden waters off the Horn of Africa. Up to now, U.S. forces in the region have limited their operations to deterrence and disruption because no country including the United States has been willing to hold the pirates. "The State Department is close on finalizing an agreement," said Gortney, who declined to identify the other country involved. "We're expecting it ... this week, next week. But we're very close," he told reporters at the Pentagon. more..http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE50F06M20090116?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews