Nairobi, 6 February 2010 (Somalilandpress) – Danish special forces who were taking part in the NATO mission against Somali pirates have stormed a Slovenian cargo ship seized by pirates and rescue 25 crew, EU naval officials and the Danish navy said on Friday.
The crews of the ship has made possible the operation because they managed to send out a suffering call and secure themselves in a safe room where they couldn’t be hit by crossfire or used as human shields, an EU naval spokesman said.
John Harbour, spokesman for the European Union Naval Force told AFP that it was the first time a navy had intervened after bandits entered to a vessel.
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It is not clear if the pirates left the ship before the troops arrived, BBC reported.
The 25 crew those were rescued are 15 Filipinos, seven Ukrainians, one Indian, one Bulgarian and other one from Slovakian.
The assault and rescue, by Danish NATO forces, took place in the Gulf of Aden on Friday morning after Somali pirates kidnapped the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged cargo vessel Ariella.
Somali bandits have made tens of millions of dollars for a ransom payment after hijacked ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The pirates currently have over 11 ships and more than 280 hostages in their custody.
Muhyadin Ahmed Roble
Freelance Journalist
Nairobi – Kenya
