Somali pirates upgrade operations with satellite communications, extend range

Somali pirates upgrade operations with satellite communications, extend range

Special to WorldTribune.com MOSCOW — Somali pirates are said to have enhanced their combat skills in attacks in the Arabian and Red Seas. A leading Russian commander said Somali pirates have been equipped with modern weapons and communications to sustain operations amid the deployment of an international task force based in the Gulf of Aden. […]

Somali pirates eye oil tanker ‘jackpot’ in Strait of Hormuz

Somali pirates eye oil tanker ‘jackpot’ in Strait of Hormuz

Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Somali pirates have expanded operations in the Gulf. Industry sources said Somali pirate vessels were moving north from the Arabian Sea to the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for 40 percent of global crude oil shipments. The sources said the operations reflected greater capability by the pirates as well […]

EU launches air strikes against Somali pirates after hijacking of tanker

EU launches air strikes against Somali pirates after hijacking of tanker

Special to WorldTribune.com LONDON — In an unprecedented move, the European Union has directed air strikes against Somalia. The EU said a range of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft attacked the Somali coast in search of pirates. The EU said the May 15 operation, in which no casualties were reported, took place in the Somali region […]

Somali pirates hijack first oil tanker near Oman in over a year

Somali pirates hijack first oil tanker near Oman in over a year

Special to WorldTribune.com ABU DHABI — Despite international naval patrols, Somali piracy continues in the Gulf region. Somali pirates hijacked an oil tanker in the Arabian Sea 630 kilometers from the coast of Oman on May 10. The Liberian-flagged Smyrni, operated by a Greek company, was carrying 135,000 tons of oil and said to have […]

How to solve the piracy scourge? Lethal force seems to work best

How to solve the piracy scourge? Lethal force seems to work best

John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — There’s been a significant drop in ship seizures and hijackings by Somali pirates in the troubled waters off East Africa. Despite last year’s spike in piracy with 28 vessels captured in the first half of 2011, there were only three ships seized in the second half of the year […]

Piracy still a thrivng business in Somalia, backed by international financiers

Piracy still a thrivng business in Somalia, backed by international financiers

Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — Despite a sharp drop in the success rate, hundreds of Somalis continue to engage in piracy in the Red Sea and Gulf. A senior U.S. official said hundreds of Somalis continue to be employed as pirates and target merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Thomas Kelly, […]

Canadian firm drilling for Somalian oil: First such venture in decades

Special to WorldTribune.com WASHINGTON — A Canadian-owned company has begun drilling for energy in war-torn Somalia. Horn Petroleum Corp. has spudded a well in northern Somalia in the first such project in the African country in more than 20 years. Horn, a majority stake of which is owned by Canada’s Africa Oil Corp., intends to […]

Al Qaida affiliate in Africa using Twitter to attract potential recruits

Al Qaida affiliate in Africa using Twitter to attract potential recruits

Special to WorldTribune.com Compiled by Bill Gertz, Geostrategy-Direct.com The Somalian-based Al Qaida affiliate Al Shabaab is recruiting followers through its Twitter page, U.S. sources said. Those who follow the terrorist group’s Twitter account, @HSMPress, are located in Africa, mainly nearby Kenya, followed by South Africa, Somalia and Uganda. Others are from Europe and North America. […]

After denying crisis, administration spending millions to find Libyan SAMs

Special to WorldTribune.com from Geostrategy-Direct.com WASHINGTON — A month after denying the threat, the United States has expanded its operation to find the missing surface-to-air missile arsenal of ousted Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi. The administration of President Barack Obama has approved a $30 million allocation to track and intercept SAM systems smuggled out of Libya. […]