3 Pirates Killed in In-Fighting Aboard Hijacked Tanker

Defiant Somali pirates demand $20M for cargo of tanks, weapons
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 30, 2008 4:15 AM CDT
3 Pirates Killed in In-Fighting Aboard Hijacked Tanker
Small pirate boats are tied up alongside the hijacked "Faina."    (AP Photo)

Three pirates were killed today as in-fighting broke out aboard a hijacked Ukranian tanker, reports the Guardian. Tensions about what to do with the tanker, its crew, and the 33 tanks aboard it rose yesterday as American destroyers and cruisers continued to move in to ensure that the weapons—bound for Sudan—didn't fall into the wrong hands, said a Navy spokesman.

"The radicals on board do not want to listen to anyone," said one official. "The moderates want to back-pedal. The Americans are close, so everyone is tense. There was a shootout and three of the pirates were shot dead." The Somali pirates are demanding $20 million ransom and have vowed not to surrender. A Russian ship has joined the standoff a few miles from the Somalian coast.
(More Navy stories.)

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