Strifes will arise through the period. Watch for them near the Davis
Strait [between Greenland and Canada] in the attempts there for the
keeping of the life line to land open. Watch for them in Libya and in
Egypt, in Ankara and in Syria, through the straits about those areas
above Australia, in the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf.
-Edgar Cayce
===================================================================
US navy, 'pirates' clash off Somalia
Sunday 19 March 2006, 8:09 Makka Time, 5:09 GMT
The pirate raids are part of the anarchy wracking Somalia
Related:
Pirates hijack UAE ship off Somalia
Somali pirates hijack second UN ship
Pirates seize ship off Somali coast
Tanker escapes pirates off Somalia
Two US navy ships have exchanged gunfire with suspected pirates off the
coast of Somalia, killing one suspect and wounding five.
Twelve suspects, including the wounded, were taken into custody after
the early morning gun battle , said Lt Cmdr. Charlie Brown, spokesman
for the US navy's 5th Fleet, on Sunday.
The nationalities and identifications of the suspected pirates were
unknown.
The shootout early on Saturday ensued after the navy ships, patrolling
the area as part of a Dutch-led coalition task force, spotted the
suspect 30-foot-long fishing boat towing smaller skiffs and prepared to
board and inspect the vessels, Brown told The Associated Press.
A statement from the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said the suspected pirates
were holding what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
When the suspects began shooting, naval gunners on the US ships
returned fire with mounted machine guns, killing one man and igniting a
fire on the vessel.
Field treatment
Three suspects were seriously wounded and being treated on one of the
navy ships, Brown said. A Dutch navy medical team was en route aboard
the HNLMS Amsterdam. No US sailors were injured in the gun battle.
Pirate attacks surged to 35 last
year from two in 2004 (File pic)
The navy boarding teams confiscated an RPG launcher and automatic
weapons, the statement said.
The navy said the incident involving the Norfolk, Virgina-based USS
Cape St. George and USS Gonzalez occurred at about 5:40 am local time,
approximately 25 nautical miles off the Somali coast in international
waters.
The International Maritime Organisation has warned ships to stay away
from the Somali coast because of pirate attacks, which surged to 35
last year from two in 2004.
On March 15, the UN Security Council encouraged naval forces operating
off Somalia to take action against suspected piracy. Pirate attacks
against aid ships have hindered UN efforts to provide relief to the
victims of a severe drought in the area.
The pirate raids are part of the anarchy wracking Somalia, which has
had no effective government since 1991, when warlords ousted a
dictatorship and then turned on each other.
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