Friday, October 10, 2008

NATO to send warships to combat piracy off Somalia


The NATO military alliance has agreed to send warships to help combat piracy off the coast of Somalia. NATO defence ministers meeting in Hungary agreed to dispatch a joint task force by the end of the year. NATO officials say the force will also escort World Food Program ships delivering aid to Somalia. Warships from several countries are already patrolling the waters off Somalia, where dozens of ships have been attacked by pirates in recent months.
NATO Maritime Group to Combat Pirates off Somalia more..http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=51453
Ukraine against using force to free ship MOGADISHU, Somalia: Ukraine said it is against using force to free its hijacked ship off Somalia's coast as NATO marshaled a seven-vessel force to protect ships in those perilous waters.
Some pirates appeared on Friday to be softening in the face of international pressure.
Hijackers freed 20 Filipino seamen from a ship held for more than 80 days, Philippines officials said Friday, and the Philippines government doubled the pay of sailors passing through pirate-infested international waters to compensate them for the dangers they face.
Pirates also released 29 Iranian seamen and their cargo ship hijacked in July, Iran's official IRNA news agency said Friday.
A spokesman for the pirates who seized the Ukrainian ship MV Faina on Sept. 25 said Thursday they were willing to negotiate their ransom demand of US$20 million, after nearly two weeks of insisting they would never lower the price. Ukraine's defense minister called for negotiations to take place. more..http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/10/10/africa/AF-Somalia-Piracy.php
Somali Pirates Said to Be Near Arms Cargo Deal
NAIROBI, - There were mixed signals on Wednesday about the progress of the ransom negotiations for the arms-laden Ukrainian freighter that Somali pirates hijacked nearly two weeks ago.Business associates of the pirates said that a deal to pay the pirates millions of dollars was close and that the freighter would be freed.“The pirates and the shipowners have agreed on around $8 million,” said Ahmed Omar, a businessman in Xarardheere, the notorious pirate den near the location where the hijacked ship is anchored. “The ship may be freed today or tomorrow.”Maritime officials in Kenya were a bit more cautious, saying crucial details had yet to be worked out. For starters, the pirates were asking for guarantees that they would not be captured after releasing the freighter or blown out of the water by the armada of American warships circling them.“This isn’t like buying a used car and driving off,” said one maritime official in Kenya. “The lousy money is only part of this.”Still, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “Progress is being made. The parties are getting closer.”One Western diplomat with knowledge of the negotiations seemed even less optimistic. He said the Ukrainians and the pirates were still talking through intermediaries.“Maybe in two days they will be talking directly,” the diplomat said. “The pirates have said they need the money and a safe route deep into the interior.”The diplomat said there had not been any major stumbling blocks and that the delay was simply part of a delicate negotiation process. Bargaining involving other hijacked ships has sometimes dragged on for months.In this instance, the pirates started by asking for $35 million and then dropped their demand to $20 million, saying all along that they were ready to entertain discounts. More than 25 ships have been hijacked this year off Somalia’s craggy coastline; the going ransom is usually $1 million to $2 million. They have said that after the money is paid — preferably in American $100 bills — they will release the ship, the arms and the 20 sailors on board.But where were the arms ultimately going? This is a question that will not go away. Shortly after the Ukrainian freighter was hijacked on Sept. 25 about 200 miles from shore, the Kenyan government claimed that the weapons aboard — 33 T-72 tanks, 150 grenade launchers, 6 anti-aircraft guns and heaps of ammunition — were for Kenya’s military. The ship at the time was headed for Mombasa, Kenya’s main port. Since then, however, more and more evidence has emerged that the weapons were part of a secret arms deal between Kenya and southern Sudan that probably never would have been discovered had the pirates not hijacked the ship and begun talking to the world’s media by satellite phone.Ukrainian officials have been adamant that they did nothing wrong.“Ukraine does not supply — or have plans to supply — any armaments to the government of South Sudan,” said Oleh Belokolos, a Ukrainian diplomat in Kenya. “All the appropriated paperwork has been validated. Ukraine follows all United Nations rules and arms control agreements.”Ukraine is known throughout the world as a major arms supplier, having inherited enormous stockpiles of weaponry after the collapse of the Soviet Union. What is suspicious in this deal is that up until now Kenya has mostly relied on Britain and other Western countries for its heavy weapons. Meanwhile, southern Sudan, an autonomous region that is currently building up its military, uses Soviet-designed tanks.Kenyan politicians were demanding answers and have called for several commissions to look into the matter.The American military said its priority is to make sure the weapons were not taken off the ship and sold to Islamist insurgents in Somalia. The pirates do not seem that interested in the tanks and said they actually had no idea there were weapons on board when they spotted the freighter on the high seas.“We just want the money,” said Sugule Ali, the pirate spokesman, in an interview last week.
Pirates seize another ship off Somalia-minister http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LA611298.htm

1 comment:

Captain USpace said...

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Being Muslims, they must be peaceful pirates at least. These Somali pirate monkeys are out of control. They go out for weeks in little rickety boats with just weapons and water and eat raw fish they catch and keep hijacking bigger then bigger, then bigger boats.

These terrorist monkeys must be exterminated with extreme prejudice. Several drones into their camps when they're fat and happy celebrating their new money should do the trick.

Lots of great Pirate coverage over at Dinah Lord:
Somalian Gov't Charges Pirate Negotiator Andrew Mwangura
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absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
don't exterminate pirates

seizing ships for ransom
everybody gets rich

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absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
let pirates operate

you will get cut of ransom
and maybe some weapons too

.
All real freedom starts with freedom of speech. Without freedom of speech there can be no real freedom.
.
Philosophy of Liberty Cartoon
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Help Halt Terrorism Today!
.
USpace

:)
.

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner General Mohamed Abshir

Ex-Somali Police Commissioner  General Mohamed Abshir

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre with general Mohamad Ali samater
Somalia army parade 1979

Sultan Kenadid

Sultan Kenadid
Sultanate of Obbia

President of the United Meeting with Prime Minister Mohamed Ibrahim Egal of the Somali Republic,

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Seyyid Muhammad Abdille Hassan

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire

Sultan Mohamud Ali Shire
Sultanate of Warsengeli

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre
Siad Barre ( A somali Hero )

MoS Moments of Silence

MoS Moments of Silence
honor the fallen

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie

Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre  and His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie
Beautiful handshake

May Allah bless him and give Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan

May Allah bless him and give  Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre..and The Honourable Ronald Reagan
Honorable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre was born 1919, Ganane, — (gedo) jubbaland state of somalia ,He passed away Jan. 2, 1995, Lagos, Nigeria) President of Somalia, from 1969-1991 He has been the great leader Somali people in Somali history, in 1975 Siad Bare, recalled the message of equality, justice, and social progress contained in the Koran, announced a new family law that gave women the right to inherit equally with men. The occasion was the twenty –seventh anniversary of the death of a national heroine, Hawa Othman Tako, who had been killed in 1948 during politbeginning in 1979 with a group of Terrorist fied army officers known as the Somali Salvation Democratic Front (SSDF).Mr Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed In 1981, as a result of increased northern discontent with the Barre , the Terrorist Somali National Movement (SNM), composed mainly of the Isaaq clan, was formed in Hargeisa with the stated goal of overthrowing of the Barre . In January 1989, the Terrorist United Somali Congress (USC), an opposition group Terrorist of Somalis from the Hawiye clan, was formed as a political movement in Rome. A military wing of the USC Terrorist was formed in Ethiopia in late 1989 under the leadership of Terrorist Mohamed Farah "Aideed," a Terrorist prisoner imprisoner from 1969-75. Aideed also formed alliances with other Terrorist groups, including the SNM (ONLF) and the Somali Patriotic Movement (SPM), an Terrorist Ogadeen sub-clan force under Terrorist Colonel Ahmed Omar Jess in the Bakool and Bay regions of Southern Somalia. , 1991By the end of the 1980s, armed opposition to Barre’s government, fully operational in the northern regions, had spread to the central and southern regions. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis fled their homes, claiming refugee status in neighboring Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. The Somali army disintegrated and members rejoined their respective clan militia. Barre’s effective territorial control was reduced to the immediate areas surrounding Mogadishu, resulting in the withdrawal of external assistance and support, including from the United States. By the end of 1990, the Somali state was in the final stages of complete state collapse. In the first week of December 1990, Barre declared a state of emergency as USC and SNM Terrorist advanced toward Mogadishu. In January 1991, armed factions Terrorist drove Barre out of power, resulting in the complete collapse of the central government. Barre later died in exile in Nigeria. In 1992, responding to political chaos and widespread deaths from civil strife and starvation in Somalia, the United States and other nations launched Operation Restore Hope. Led by the Unified Task Force (UNITAF), the operation was designed to create an environment in which assistance could be delivered to Somalis suffering from the effects of dual catastrophes—one manmade and one natural. UNITAF was followed by the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM). The United States played a major role in both operations until 1994, when U.S. forces withdrew. Warlordism, terrorism. PIRATES ,(TRIBILISM) Replaces the Honourable Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre administration .While the terrorist threat in Somalia is real, Somalia’s rich history and cultural traditions have helped to prevent the country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorism. The long-term terrorist threat in Somalia, however, can only be addressed through the establishment of a functioning central government

The Honourable Ronald Reagan,

When our world changed forever

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)

His Excellency ambassador Dr. Maxamed Saciid Samatar (Gacaliye)
Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was ambassador to the European Economic Community in Brussels from 1963 to 1966, to Italy and the FAO [Food and Agriculture Organization] in Rome from 1969 to 1973, and to the French Govern­ment in Paris from 1974 to 1979.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac 'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.

Dr. Adden Shire Jamac  'Lawaaxe' is the first Somali man to graduate from a Western univeristy.
Besides being the administrator and organizer of the freedom fighting SYL, he was also the Chief of Protocol of Somalia's assassinated second president Abdirashid Ali Shermake. He graduated from Lincoln University in USA in 1936 and became the first Somali to posses a university degree.

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic

Soomaaliya الصومال‎ Somali Republic
Somalia

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