Bomb hits convoy carrying Qataris in Somalia, eight dead

Officers stand by the remains of a wrecked car at the scene of car bomb explosion along the "Kilometre 4" road junction, south of the capital Mogadishu, Somalia, May 5, 2013.

(Reuters) - A suicide bomber hit a convoy of cars carrying Qatari officials through the centre of Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Sunday, killing eight Somalis, officials said.
The visiting delegation of Qataris, who were travelling in the Somali interior minister's bullet-proof vehicle, were "safe", a security officer told Reuters, without going into further detail. The minister was not in the car at the time.

The Islamist rebel group al Shabaab said it was behind the attack and threatened further strikes against Somalia's government, which it called a "puppet" of Western powers.

"More explosions are on the way," al Shabaab's military spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters by telephone.

The al Qaeda-linked rebels have kept up a campaign of guerrilla-style attacks since the army and peacekeepers pushed them out of bases in the city.

Witnesses said a suicide bomber rammed a car laden with explosives into the convoy. The blast tore through the busy 'Kilometre 4' road junction in the centre of Mogadishu's commercial and administrative district.

Gunfire rang out immediately after the explosion as the convoy's security guards fired into the air to disperse onlookers.

Qatar has been forging closer political ties with Somalia in recent years as it seeks to expand its influence in the Horn of Africa region.

"The car bomb targeted delegates from Qatar. They are safe," Hassan Osman, a security official, told Reuters, adding that the minister's car was damaged in the blast.

The chairman of Mogadishu's Hodan district, where the blast occurred, told reporters at the scene eight people had been killed and five wounded, most of them civilians.

Sunday's bomb was a stark reminder of two decades of civil strife in a country where the central government depends heavily on a 17,600-strong African Union peacekeeping force for its survival.

While there has been a significant improvement in the coastal capital since African Union peacekeepers drove the Islamist al Shabaab group out of the city in 2011, the attack showed the relative ease with which the militants can still strike.

Some of Mogadishu's major roads were closed last week after security officials received a tip-off about an imminent attack, but were re-opened on Saturday.

The state of Somalia's security forces will top the agenda at conference in London on May 7. Britain and Somalia are hoping to use the event to drum up more international support at a time when al Shabaab are weakened as a fighting force but can still inflict devastating strikes.

Civil war after the fall of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991 left Somalia without effective central government and awash with weapons. The turmoil opened the doors for piracy to flourish in the Gulf of Aden and deeper into the Indian Ocean.

from REUTERS
By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar
MOGADISHU | Sun May 5, 2013 10:51am BST
(Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

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Somali pirates release Greek oil tanker with 26 crew

English: Map showing the extent of Somali pirate attacks on shipping vessels between 2005 and 2010. Français : Carte montrant l'étendue des attaques de pirates somaliens sur des navires de transport entre 2005 et 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NAIROBI, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Somali pirates have freed Greek oil tanker with 26 crew members onboard after ten months of captivity, the vessel's owners confirmed on Tuesday.

Dynacom Tankers Management said in a statement that the vessel, MT. Smyrni which was hijacked in Arabian Sea in May 2012 off 56 the Gulf Arab state of Oman was released on Monday.

"We are very pleased to report that the MT Smyrni has been released after ten months in the captivity of Somali pirates. All of the crew are safe and well and the vessel is proceeding to a port of refuge," the company said in a statement to Xinhua on Tuesday.

The Liberian-based flagged Smyrni, operated by a Greek company, was carrying 135,000 tonnes of oil and said to have been taken to Somalia.

The vessel has a crew of 26 of mixed nationalities who were all taken hostage in the attack and sources said there was no security guards aboard the tanker when it was attacked by pirates.

The seizure of Smyrni took place on its second voyage and marked the first successful hijacking of an oil tanker off the Omani coast since February 2011.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank the crew, their families, our employees and those agencies that have provided support through this long ordeal. We do not expect to make any further statements on this matter," Dynacom Tankers Management said.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden reduced drastically in 2012 as only 75 incidents including 14 hijackings were attributed to Somali pirates who continue to threaten an extended geographical region, according to a global maritime watchdog.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said in a global piracy report that only five attacks were reported in the last quarter of 2012, adding that the number of Somali hijackings was halved from 28 in 2011 to 14 last year.

The maritime watchdog said the drop is likely due to the increased active military action on suspected skiffs, military land based anti-piracy operations, preventive measures and increased use of armed guards on board ships as well as the monsoon season.

According to the report, only two crew have been killed, 250 taken hostage and one injured. The East and South Coast of Somalia including the Arabian Sea recorded 49 attacks including nine attacks in the Gulf of Oman region, with 13 attacks having been reported in the Gulf of Aden and the Southern Red Sea.

Most of the attacks involve the use of weapons which is a cause of great concern to the merchant navy fleet as it poses a serious threat not only to injury and death of seafarers but also to the ship, cargo and environment.

from XINHUA
Editor: Hou Qiang
2013-03-12 17:31:44

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Al-Qaida bombs Yemen's LNG export pipeline

map by Evan Centanni (www.polgeonow.com)

SANAA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Al-Qaida militants on Sunday blew up a pipeline that transfers Yemen's liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Gulf of Aden export terminal, an interior ministry official told Xinhua.

The explosion took place in Asilan area of the southeast province of Shabwa, neighboring to the oil-rich province of Marib, where the country's main crude oil export pipeline was attacked by unidentified gunmen on Friday for the fifth time in less than a month.

"Al-Qaida fighters exploded a section of the LNG export pipeline in Asilan this morning," the official told Xinhua Sunday on condition of anonymity.

Local media confirmed the attack on the gas line in Asilan area.

The French-led LNG company resumed exporting gas last month after the pipeline was repaired following the previous attack on Oct. 30.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni army in Marib launched a fierce offensive Sunday against suspected hideouts of militants of Wadi Abida, whom the local authorities accused of repeatedly attacking the oil pipeline and killing senior military officials in an ambush on Saturday.

Independent Almasdaronline cited local tribesmen in Wadi Abida as saying that fighter jets stroke several houses and farms in the Wadi Abida area and killed a man identified as Saleh Maely. Local tribesmen said Maely has no links to any militants.

The Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) said Saturday in a statement obtained by Xinhua that it ambushed a military convoy near the oil fields of Safer Saturday afternoon, killing commander General Nasser Mahdi Farid and several others.

The defense ministry reported that the death toll from Saturday 's attack in Marib against the military convoy increased to nine, including Farid, chief-of-staff of the central military command in Marib.

The government has failed to repair the line due to continuing conflicts in Marib, highlighting the persistent insecurity in the country even one year after a political upheaval.

U.S. drones and Yemeni warplanes have regularly targeted the Yemen-based al-Qaida wing, which exploited security vacuum during Yemen's unrest last year. Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi said fighting the AQAP tops his daily agenda when he was elected in February.

from XINHUA
2012-12-09 18:21:58

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Somali pirates free Seychelles fishermen after year's captivity

English: Map showing the extent of Somali pirate attacks on shipping vessels between 2005 and 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MOGADISHU/VICTORIA (Reuters) - Somali pirates have released two Seychellois hostages they had in captivity for a year, officials from both countries said.

The two fishermen were hijacked last November in their boat, the Aride, some 65 miles west of Mahe in Seychelles and taken to the Somali port of Hobyo, a base for many pirates, before being moved inland to the central town of Adado, where they were held.

"The Office of the President has confirmed that - following extensive efforts by President James Michel - Rolly Tambara and Marc Songoire have been freed in Somalia, where they had been held hostage for the past year," the Seychelles president's office said in a statement.

"The two Seychellois fishermen are now in a safe area and arrangements are being made to convey them to Seychelles by the speediest means."

A pirate known as Mohamed from Adado said late on Saturday the captors had been given a $3 million ransom, but this could not be independently verified.

Somalia, which is only now getting a functioning government after two decades of chaos and civil war, is next to the Gulf of Aden's busy shipping lanes. Poverty and lawlessness have in recent years lured many young men into piracy, where ransom payments for crew and ships can yield millions of dollars.

An international naval flotilla in the region has stepped up pre-emptive action against the pirates, including strikes on bases on the Somali coast. Shipping firms are increasingly deploying armed guards and other measures such as heightened watches and razor wire to improve security on vessels.

"The two men ... have now been flown out after negotiation with the Somali and Seychelles government," Ahmed Salad, commissioner of Adado District in central Somalia, told Reuters on Sunday.

from REUTERS
By Mohamed Ahmed and George Thande

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Somali pirates release MV Orna, detain six crew

MV ORNA

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali pirates said on Monday they have freed the Panama-flagged merchant ship MV Orna after receiving a ransom of $400,000, but detained six of the crew to get more money for them.

The ship, a bulk cargo vessel with a deadweight of 27,915 tonnes, owned by the United Arab Emirates, was stopped by pirates firing rocket-propelled grenades about 400 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles in December 2010.

Pirates said they released MV Orna held at Haradheere in central Somalia, but were still holding the captain, the engineer and four others of its 19 mostly Indian crew.

"We now hold six men, including the captain and the chief engineer," pirate Mohamed told Reuters from Haradheere

The amount of the ransom for release of the ship could not immediately be verified independently.

"We have taken $400,000 and released MV Orna. The owners towed it with other ships," pirate Abdiweli told Reuters.

"We want ransom for them, but I cannot say the amount now."

Seaborne gangs are making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, and despite successful efforts to quell attacks in the Gulf of Aden, international navies have struggled to contain piracy in the Indian Ocean owing to the vast distances involved.

However, naval ships have intensified their crackdown, including strikes on the pirates' coastal bases, and shipping firms are increasingly using armed guards and defensive measures on vessels, including barbed wire.

This has helped to reduce the number of incidents involving Somali pirates to 69 in the first half of 2012, compared with 163 in the same period last year, the International Maritime Bureau has said.

from REUTERS
By Mohamed Ahmed
Tue Oct 23, 2012 5:14am GMT

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Yemen's export gas pipeline blown up by al-Qaida suspects

English: Map showing the location of the Gulf of Aden, located between Yemen and Somalia. Nearby bodies of water include the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

ADEN, Yemen, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen suspected of belonging to the al-Qaida terrorist group blew up a gas pipeline that transfers Yemen's liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Belhaf export terminal in the south early Tuesday, a security official told Xinhua.

The main pipeline, which transports supplies of gas to Yemen's Belhaf export terminal in the Gulf of Aden, was bombed by a squad of al-Qaida assailants in Safir oil-fields in eastern Maarib province, the local security official said on condition of anonymity.

Improvised explosive devices and remote-controlled bombs exploded underneath the gas pipeline in the oil-producing Maarib province, causing a huge explosion at the area, the security official said.

Tuesday's bombing comes days after the pipeline was repaired following a previous attack that occurred in neighboring Shabwa province.

On Saturday, Yemen LNG had announced that the pipeline had been repaired after an armed attack by al-Qaida suspects in August.

The 320-km pipeline, linking oil-producing Marib province to Belhaf LNG export facility in Yemen's restive south, has been repeatedly targeted by al-Qaida operatives.

Oil revenues make up more than 70 percent of the state budget, while oil and gas products account for over 90 percent of Yemen's exports.

Yemen's oil production rapidly declined from more than 400,000 barrels per day at the beginning of the past decade to the current 270,000 barrels per day.

Despite the army reinforcements and high security measures at the country's oil projects, al-Qaida militants have attacked the main LNG pipeline several times in recent months.


from XINHUA
2012-09-04 16:46:14

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Danish warship stops Somali pirate vessel, 12 hostages freed

Map showing the extent of Somali pirate attacks on shipping vessels between 2005 and 2010. Français : Carte montrant l'étendue des attaques de pirates somaliens sur des navires de transport entre 2005 et 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

COPENHAGEN, April 12 (Xinhua) -- A Danish warship has apprehended a suspected pirate ship off Somalia's coast, and released 12 hostages held on board, the Danish naval command said here Thursday.

The warship Absalon, which is part of NATO-led anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, stopped the pirate mother ship in waters off Somalia's east coast on Wednesday.

Sixteen suspected pirates were arrested and are now detained on board the warship, the navy said in a press statement.

Twelve persons, said to be from Iran and Pakistan, and who were held hostage on the pirate ship for over a month, were released from captivity following the action. They are now sailing home, the statement added.

No shots were fired during the operation and no casualties are reported, the navy said. Danish authorities are now examining whether the suspected pirates can be prosecuted, it added.

This is the second time since February that the Absalon has stopped a pirate mother ship, arrested pirates and released hostages.

According to Danish broadcaster TV2, Danish warships have captured a total of 280 pirates off Somalia's coast, but only 37 have been delivered for prosecution, with the rest set free.

Without a functional government since 1991, Somalia has become a haven for pirates who are believed to make millions of dollars by capturing and ransoming commercial and private ships and crews.

The shipping industry and world governments spend around 7 billion U.S. dollars annually to avoid, combat, or mitigate Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean, the U.S.-based One Earth Foundation said in a report earlier February.

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British hostage released in Somalia

Map showing the location of the Gulf of Aden, located between Yemen and Somalia. Nearby bodies of water include the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

MOGADISHU, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Judith Tebbutt, a British national held hostage in Somalia for almost five months by Somali pirates, was released on Wednesday amid reports of ransom paid in exchange for her freedom.

Judith Tebbutt, 56, was seized in a raid on the Kenyan island of Lamu in September and was taken to Somalia by her captors who killed her husband, David Tebbutt, 58.

"We managed to get the hostage released by her captors after lengthy negotiations with them," Omar Mohamed Diiriye, a senior official in the regional administration, told Xinhua.

The officials said no ransom was paid for the release of the elderly Briton, but reports indicate that money was paid to the pirates to secure her freedom.

Somali pirates operate in the central Somali regions and carry out hijacking of ships plying along the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

Dozens of ships as well as hundreds of their crew members are still being held hostage in Somalia. Pirates often demand hefty ransom for their release.

The raid by Somali pirates on the Kenyan island of Lamu last September was unprecedented as pirates often carry out hijacking of ships to get their hostages.

A number of countries including China have sent their navy to the waters off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden to help fight the menace of piracy after the authorization of the UN Security Council.

While pirate activities have decreased in the area, a number of incidents have been reported along the Somali coast.

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British navy nabs 13 Somali pirates in Indian Ocean

Image via Wikipedia

LONDON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The British Royal Navy captured 13 Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on Friday, Defence Ministry said.

A British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) supply ship and a U.S. Navy vessel intercepted the pirates' boat, which refused to stop despite warning shots fired from a British helicopter.

The British navy then sent commandos to board the boat, capturing the 13 pirates and seizing their weapons.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the British troops, part of a NATO-led counter-piracy force, could be "proud" of the success.

Captain Gerry Northwood, who leads the operation, said the capture will "send a clear message to other Somali pirates that we will not tolerate their attacks on international shipping."

Earlier this week, the same British ship, RFA Fort Victoria, foiled an attempt by Somali pirates to attack cargo ships in the Indian Ocean, the Defence Ministry added.

In the operation on Tuesday, the British navy blocked the pirates' attempt to sail the hijacked tanker Liquid Velvet from the Somali coast into the Gulf of Aden where they would have used it as a mother ship to attack passing ships.

Fort Victoria "cut off Liquid Velvet's progress after she had sailed 90 miles (145km) from the coastline, forcing her to return to Somalia", the Defence Ministry said.

The Greek-owned chemical tanker Liquid Velvet had been held to ransom since last November.

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Somali Pirates Release Tanker – MV OLIB G and 18 Sailors

The MV Olib G. Photo: EU NAVFOR

Somali pirates have released the Maltese-flagged tanker M/V OLIB G and her crew of 18, according to a report by the Somalia Report.

The vessel and her crew, consisting of 15 Georgians and 3 Turks, was hijacked while transiting the eastern part of the Gulf of Aden in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor, an area set up by EU NAVFOR (Task Force 465), the NATO (Task Force 508) and Combined Maritime Force (Task Force 151) to coordinate the patrol of maritime transits.

Somalia Report says that the vessel was released after a ransom of $3 million was paid to the pirates belonging to a group that is “not particularly well known” in the area. The ransom paid was far less than the $9 million originally requested by pirate negotiators.

The crew is said to be safe and in good health.

In November, the crew of the OLIB G were videotaped as they discussed the conditions they have been subjected to. The video offered unique glimpse into the lives of hostages being held in Somalia, something we don’t see very often. If you listen closely, they speak of the harsh conditions, little food rations, no medicine and little help from the companies that they work for.

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• Somali Pirates Release Tanker - MV OLIB G (gcaptain.com)

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