Three Somali Pirates Reported Killed

Spokesman For Group Aboard Ship Carrying Tanks And Weapons Denies Report By U.S. Official

(AP)  Disagreements between Somali pirates holding a ship laden with tanks and heavy weapons escalated into a shootout and three pirates are believed dead, a U.S. defense official said Tuesday. The pirates denied the report.

The U.S. destroyer USS Howard and several other American ships have surrounded the Ukrainian cargo ship Faina, which was hijacked Thursday and is now anchored off the lawless coast of Somalia. The pirates have demanded a ransom of $20 million and the U.S. Navy cordon aims to prevent them from taking any of the weapons ashore.

The official in Washington who reported the shootout spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record. He refused to elaborate and said he had no way of confirming the deaths.

But the pirate spokesman insisted the report was not true, that his colleagues were just celebrating the Muslim feast of Eid al-Fitr despite being surrounded by American warships and helicopters.

"We didn't dispute over a single thing, let alone have a shootout," pirate spokesman Sugule Ali told The Associated Press by satellite telephone Tuesday.

"We are happy on the ship and we are celebrating Eid," Ali said. "Nothing has changed."

The Islamic feast marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

Earlier Tuesday, Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Program cited an unconfirmed report saying three Somali pirates were killed Monday night in a dispute over whether to surrender. Mwangura said, however, he had not spoken to any witnesses.

Elsewhere in Somalia, pirates freed a Malaysian tanker Tuesday after a ransom was paid, according to a Malaysian shipping company.

The blue-and-white Ukrainian ship Faina has been buzzed by American helicopters since Sunday. Pirates hijacked the Faina and its cargo of 33 Soviet-designed tanks and weapons Thursday while the ship was passing through the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, en route to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

Ali said the vessel was surrounded by four warships but he could not identify where the ships were from. The San Diego-based USS guided missile destroyer Howard has been watching the pirate ship for several days and has spoken the pirates and crew by radio.

The U.S. defense official in Washington said the pirates have been moving from ship to shore and back again, bringing provisions including livestock.

He said between 40 and 50 pirates were involved in the hijacking, but a second U.S. official said only about 30 of them were on the ship itself.

On Monday, U.S. naval officials said several other American ships had joined the watch, but declined to give details.

U.S. Navy officials said they have allowed the pirates to resupply the ship with food and water, but not to unload any of its military cargo, which included T-72 tanks, ammunition, and heavy weapons that U.S. Defense officials have said included rocket launchers.

The U.S. fears the armaments may end up with al Qaeda-linked Islamic militants who have been fighting an insurgency against the shaky, U.N.-backed Somali transitional government since late 2006, when the Islamists were driven out after six months in power. More than 9,000 people, most of them civilians, have been killed in the Iraq-style insurgency.

Russia has also dispatched a warship to the area, but it will take about a week to get there.

American military officials and diplomats say the weapons are destined for southern Sudan.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian shipping line MISC Berhad said Tuesday that Somalia pirates released the seized palm oil tanker, MT Bunga Melati 2, on Monday, two days after its first vessel was released.

Chairman Hassan Marican said a ransom was paid for both vessels but declined to reveal the amount. All 79 crew on both ships are safe but were traumatized and will undergo counseling, he said.

Piracy has become a lucrative criminal racket in impoverished Somalia, bringing in tens of millions of dollars a year in ransom. There have been 24 reported attacks in Somalia this year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

Most pirate attacks occur in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, to the north of Somalia. But recently pirates have been targeting Indian Ocean waters off eastern Somalia.

In all, 62 ships have been attacked in the notorious African waters this year. A total of 26 ships were hijacked, and 12 remain in the hands of the pirates along with more than 200 crew members.

International warships are patrolling the area and have created a special security corridor under a U.S.-led initiative, but attacks have not abated.

[andrew_693]

well, the reason why Bush doesn''t care about these pirates is because they have no oil to steal from them or maybe they pee in their pants when confronted by the force that defeated them some years ago in black hack down. With all the satellites and technology available, one would think that one can follow these pirate vessels into their port of origin and bomb or tomahawk the shat out of them while they sit there and sink their vessel, or maybe their fishing boats scare the US navy also. Who knows.

[jehovahwtnss]

I kindly request hbevis to write comments that are relevant to this news article. If he wants to peddle his puerile rumours, there are lots of political news articles on this very same site where he can do this with impunity

[hbevis]

Don''''t be suprised if this happens...
ACTION ALERT: [supposedly] info from DNC SOURCE NOT VERIFIED
Hi all,
Let me share some info with you that I have gotten from excellent sources
within the DNC:
On or about October 5th, Biden will excuse himself from the ticket, citing
health problems, and he will be replaced by Hillary. This is timed to occur
after the VP debate on 10/2.
There have been talks all weekend about how to proceed with this info.
Generally, the feeling is that we should all go ahead and get it out there
to as many blog sites and personal email lists as is possible. I have
already seen a few short blurbs about this - the ''''health problem'''' cited in
those articles was aneurysm. Probably many of you have heard the same
rumblings.
However, at this point, with this inside info from the DNC, it looks like
this Obama strategy will be a go. Therefore, it seems that the best
strategy is to get out in front of this Obama maneuver, spell it out in
detail, and thereby expose it for the grand manipulation that it is.
So, et''''s start mixing this one up and cut the Obamites off at the pass -
send this info out to as many people as you can - post about it on websites
and blogs - etc.

I''d like to see them try and take a Russian Tank ashore.

I suspect they wouldn''t get very far.

[georgew1956]

WHERE ARE THE RUSSIANS DON''T THEY WANT THIER TANKS BACK THIS IS BAD BUSINESS TO GO IN FIRST.

[libratine]

Thanks heero78!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[minnick8-2009]

I''''m thinking a heavily armed decoy ship full of marines would do the trick...

Posted by Pat1967

That sounds like a good idea.

[heero78-2009]

What kind of socks do pirates wear?

Aaaaaaaaargyles

[emelder]

If the ship owners want us to go in ... let''s send in the Seals. They know how to stop pirates!

[perimogi]

Where is Capt. Jack Sparrow when you need him?

[cfin5]

I''m sure that boats, that are obviously not tankers in that area, are up to no good,........if these pirates choose to play some sort of "Sharia Naval Enforcement" with their ransom tax,......celebrate the sharks gettin'' fed with them. Send them off to their 72 young *** for all I care.

[inketolstoy]

Surrounded by navy ships from several fleets, while helicopters circle like vultures over head:

"We are happy on the ship and we are celebrating Eid," Ali said. "Nothing has changed."

Pop! Pop! Pop! Flop, flop, flop.

This guy must be trying to get a job doing press releases for our politicians.

[caliengineer]

I vote for the decoy ship. Lure them to their death.

Muslims have been pirating ships since the 1700''s, at least. America had to buy many American sailors out of slavery.
There was a HUGE French group in the 1800''s whose sole purpose was to raise money to ransom French sailors.

These pirates need to be taught a harsh lesson, swiftly.

[georgew1956]

ITS HOLY MONTH AND LETS GO ROB A SHIP AND DEMAND RANSOM!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY HOLY HOLY

[pat1967-2009]

I''m thinking a heavily armed decoy ship full of marines would do the trick...

[kirstinharr]

Pirates? Are they kidding? Time to deploy the USNavy with full weaponry and put an end to this. Pirates will think twice next time...

[zorar-2009]

Never met a Pirate I could trust!
I bet you they also hijacked a ship loaded with melamine & sold it to China for a deal!

[aerodog]

BUT I DON''T WANT TO WEAR THE PUFFY SHIRT!!!!! :( :(

[thevicar1]

Arrrrrrrr

They be dancin'' in Davy Jones locker now, aint they?

Arrrrrrrrrrrrr

[deceler8]

They should have to wear the puffy shirt before they walk the plank.