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October 13, 2008 10:36:48 AM CDT

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Stories related to: Somalia

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  • October 2008

    • Smugglers Force 150 Overboard Off Yemen

      Reuters  |  Oct 11, 08 8:41 AM CDT

      Smugglers Force 150 Overboard Off Yemen

      (Newser) - At least 100 people, mainly Somalis, are missing and feared dead after being forced off a people-smuggling boat near Yemen, Reuters reports. The boat had been carrying 150 passengers when it left Somalia to cross the Gulf of Aden nearly three days ago, said survivors. Some 47 people managed to swim to a beach. More »

      Tags

      Somalia  • Yemen  • smuggler

    • Deal Close on Ship: Somali Pirates

      AFP  |  Oct 7, 08 4:21 PM CDT

      Deal Close on Ship: Somali Pirates

      (Newser) - A ransom deal could come as soon as tomorrow for the crew of the Ukrainian freighter being held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, AFP reports. The ship, with 21 crewmembers and tanks and other military materials as cargo, was taken over Sept. 25 and is currently surrounded by a flotilla of international naval ships in the Indian Ocean off Hobyo, about 300 miles north of Mogadishu. More »

      Tags

      Somalia  • pirates

    • Somali Standoff Continues as Nations Move to Fight Piracy

      BBC  |  Oct 2, 08 11:00 AM CDT

      Somali Standoff Continues as Nations Move to Fight Piracy

      (Newser) - With pirates still holding a munitions-laden ship off Somalia’s coast, the European Union plans a security force to crack down on maritime crime in the area, the BBC reports. The US Navy has surrounded the MV Faina to ensure the weapons aboard are not given to terrorists, and Somalia has authorized use of force to regain control of the ship. Meanwhile piracy in the area has netted some $30 million in ransom this year, the AP adds. More »

      Tags

      European Union  • Africa  • US Navy  • Somalia  • pirates  • ransom

    • Pirates Discuss Ransom for Arms Shipment

      BBC  |  Oct 1, 08 3:23 PM CDT

      Pirates Discuss Ransom for Arms Shipment

      (Newser) - The Somali pirates who hijacked a Ukranian ship carrying a weapons shipment are in ransom negotiations with the vessel’s owners, the BBC reports. No governments are involved in the talks, sources said. The pirates seem to be flexible: They initially asked for a $35 million ransom, then $20 million, and now “it’s down to $5 million,” one source said. More »

      Tags

      Africa  • Ukraine  • Somalia  • pirates  • weapons  • cargo ships

  • September 2008

    • Somali Pirates: Uh, Hey, We're 'Misunderstood'

      New York Times  |  Sep 30, 08 11:24 AM CDT

      Somali Pirates: Uh, Hey, We're 'Misunderstood'

      (Newser) - The Somali pirates currently surrounded by US warships aboard a Ukrainian weapons freighter say they didn’t mean to steal the massive heavy weaponry shipment, they tell the New York Times , calling in by satellite phone. “We just saw a big ship,” said the leader. “So we stopped it.” They promise they’re not out to sell the cargo to terrorists. “We just want the money.” More »

      Tags

      US Navy  • Somalia  • piracy  • pirates

    • 3 Pirates Killed in In-Fighting Aboard Hijacked Tanker

      Guardian (UK)  |  Sep 30, 08 4:15 AM CDT

      3 Pirates Killed in In-Fighting Aboard Hijacked Tanker

      (Newser) - 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. More »

      Tags

      US Navy  • Somalia  • piracy  • pirates

    • Islamists Eye Weapons on Pirate Ship

      Times (UK)  |  Sep 29, 08 7:26 AM CDT

      Islamists Eye Weapons on Pirate Ship

      (Newser) - Islamic extremists are preparing to unload anti-aircraft guns and grenades from a Ukrainian ship captured by Somali pirates, the Times of London reports, though the ship, taken Thursday as it approached Kenya, is surrounded by US and European warships. Speaking via satellite phone, the seized vessel’s captain said one of his 21-member crew had died and the captors wanted $20 million in ransom. More »

      Tags

      Ukraine  • US Navy  • Somalia  • piracy  • weapons  • Islamist extremists

  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008

    • Pirates Hijack Relief Ship Off of Somalia

      BBC  |  May 18, 08 10:02 AM CDT

      Pirates Hijack Relief Ship Off of Somalia

      (Newser) - Pirates hijacked a Jordanian relief ship off the Somalia coast early yesterday, reports the BBC, and its 12-member international crew are now traveling north with its cargo of 4,000 tons of sugar. Jordan is reportedly working with the Danish embassy in Mogadishu, near where the boat was seized, to try to get the ship and crew released. More »

      Tags

      kidnapping  • Somalia  • relief  • Jordan  • pirates  • attack  • East Africa  • hijacking

    • Two Shot in Somalia Food Riots

      BBC  |  May 5, 08 10:31 AM CDT

      Two Shot in Somalia Food Riots

      (Newser) - Soldiers shot and killed at least two people in Somalia as thousands rioted over inflation and soaring food prices. A recent rash of counterfeiting has led some merchants to only accept US dollars, instead of local shillings, the BBC reports. In response, angry Somalis threw rocks and burned tires, shouting, "Down with the dollar-receivers." More »

      Tags

      inflation  • Somalia  • hunger  • food riots  • hyper-inflation

    • US Airstrike Kills al-Qaeda Boss in Somalia

      Reuters  |  May 1, 08 7:14 AM CDT

      US Airstrike Kills al-Qaeda Boss in Somalia

      (Newser) - American war planes killed more than a dozen people in a town in the west of Somalia today, including one said to be the leader of that country's branch of al-Qaeda. Reuters reports that the airstrike on a band of Somali insurgents killed Aden Hashi Ayro, whose militants are blamed for an Iraq-style insurgency, complete with unprecedented suicide bombings, against the Somali military and its Ethiopian allies. More »

      Tags

      al-Qaeda  • Africa  • Somalia  • Ethiopia  • Horn of Africa  • Council of Islamic Courts

  • April 2008

    • Spain Speeds to Save Pirate Hostages

      BBC  |  Apr 21, 08 9:26 AM CDT

      Spain Speeds to Save Pirate Hostages

      (Newser) - A Spanish naval frigate is steaming to the waters off Somalia to rescue crew members of a tuna boat seized by pirates, reports the BBC. The boat was grabbed just days after French commandos freed hostages from a luxury yacht comandeered by Somali pirates. The tuna boat's 26 crew members are "well," the captain said by radio, but the pirates are demanding a ransom. More »

      Tags

      hostage  • Spain  • Somalia  • pirates  • ransom  • fishing boat

    • Ignore Pirates or Face Asylum Claims, UK Says

      Times (UK)  |  Apr 13, 08 10:37 AM CDT

      Ignore Pirates or Face Asylum Claims, UK Says

      (Newser) - In an odd new take on piracy, the British Royal Navy has been told by the Foreign Office not to detain pirates—or they may seek asylum to escape death sentences in their home countries. It's not a strategy roundly hailed. “These people commit horrendous offenses. It’s a pathetic indictment of what our legal system has come to," complained one politician. More »