No hiding place for the pirates of Somalia

Source: Agencies  |   2008-12-12  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE United States is proposing to track down Somali pirates not only at sea, but on land and in Somalian air space with cooperation from the African country's UN-backed government.

On Wednesday, the US circulated a draft United Nations Security Council resolution on the issue which proposed that all nations and regional groups cooperating with Somalia's government in the fight against piracy and armed robbery "may take all necessary measures ashore in Somalia."

If the US military gets involved, it would mark a dramatic turnabout from the US experience in Somalia in 1992-1993 that culminated in a deadly military clash in Mogadishu followed by a humiliating withdrawal of American forces.

Piracy off Somalia has intensified in recent months, with more attacks against a wider range of targets. There was an unsuccessful assault on a cruise ship in the Gulf of Aden, which links the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. In September, pirates seized a Ukrainian freighter loaded with 33 battle tanks and on November 15 they seized a Saudi oil tanker carrying US$100 million worth of crude.

About 100 attacks on ships have been reported off the Somali coast this year. Forty vessels have been hijacked, with 14 still remaining in the hands of pirates along with more than 250 crew members, according to maritime officials.

The US resolution is to be presented at a session in Somalia next Tuesday by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. It proposes that for a year, nations "may take all necessary measures ashore in Somalia, including in its airspace, to interdict those who are using Somali territory to plan, facilitate or undertake acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea and to otherwise prevent those activities."