Devise military solutions to the Somali piracy irritant

[Klaus]

Amid tensions between USA and the Islamic Republic of Iran comes this report: Link

The American destroyer responded to the distress call from the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel and sent in a Navy team to free the Iranian crew, the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said.

"A visit, board, search and seizure team from Kidd boarded the Al Molai and detained 15 suspected pirates who had been holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks," the statement said.

"The Al Molai had been pirated and used as a 'mother ship' for pirate operations throughout the Persian Gulf, according to members of the Iranian vessel's crew."

The detained pirates - believed to be Somalis - were being held on the Stennis, said a Pentagon spokesman, Captain John Kirby.

"The Iranians and the dhow have been released and are on their way back home," Kirby told AFP.

[Gus]

sorry if this was mentioned before in this thread. I recommend this book I read a few months ago. Jay Bahadur, the author, spent quite a lot of time amongst them and interviewed people who were and are doing it.

http://www.amazon.com/Pirates-Somalia-I ... 030737906X

Apparently most of the money they make, is spent on buying khat (a leaf that they chew all day and are addicted to) from Ethiopia. Maybe if we can grow them and give it away for cheap, they won't be pirating..

[abhischekcc]

Khat is the same thing that Somalis were chewing when they screwed over the US+Pak troops in Mogadishu.

[shyamd]

Khat destroys the land and uses up too much water. You wont be able to grow much after 10 years if u do plant it.

[member_22286]

Khat destroys the land and uses up too much water. You wont be able to grow much after 10 years if u do plant it.

Reminds me of Indigo.Does it have some sort of the hiashis effect If an individual chews it?

[JE Menon]

Yes it does have such properties. Qat is widely chewed in the region, Yemen/Somalia etc. They just chew the leaves directly basically hit it after lunch and stay stoned for the rest of the day. Not everyone of course, but quite a few. It's a "tradition" of sorts...

[Klaus]

http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewto ... 2#p1227632

Basically confirms B-ji's stand on UQ and their role in nurturing worldwide narco-Islamist networks.

My stand on Socotra and/or nearby islands remains unchanged. India needs to have a naval + naval air arm presence in these islands. With regard to logistics, India has friendly Omani ports nearby, we can always extend the logistical tail to the Balochistan coast when they become independent of TSP (or the Iranian port of Chabahar, if we decide not to wait for Baloch independence). Such a supply chain would largely augment the naval strength on the West Coast, while largely being independent of it.

Another recent positive development is the 900 km railway line from Hajigak (AFG) to Chabahar (Iran). These two mega-projects, if executed in all seriousness could parellel Unkil's military logistics in the first island chain. It would make India a serious land player in Central Asia as well as a IOR maritime "near blue-water" force to be reckoned with. The false-dichotomy of CAR vs IOR would be removed once and for all.

[RajeshA]

X-Posting shyamd's post from "India-Africa News and Discussion" Thread

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Just to confirm my earlier post and added perception on India's position on Somalia.

IMO India should jump at this opportunity.

And now, an offer of oil from Puntland

Sandeep Dikshit


With virtually the entire east coast of Africa is found to contain hydrocarbon deposits, the tiny Puntland, which is a nation and yet not a nation, is no exception. Its President Abdirahman Mohamed Mohamud Farolez on Wednesday held talks in New Delhi on the recent find in Puntland of large quantity of oil.

He invited Indian companies to participate in the exploration and sought New Delhi's cooperation for charting out exploration blocks and training Somalis in the petroleum sector.

The Puntland region is unique — it seeks unity of the Somali people and adheres to a federal system of government unlike the secessionist region of Somaliland to its west. Puntland is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation.

The visit was not due to normal diplomatic exertions. During Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed's participation in the international conference on Somalia in London in February, he met the Transitional Federal Government leadership, Presidents of Puntland and Gulmudug and representatives of other groups. During the meeting, Mr. Farolez expressed his desire to visit India. An invitation was duly extended. Mr. Farolez's official engagements included calls on Mr. Ahamed and Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas R.P.N. Singh, during which he was told that India would favourably consider the proposal for gas exploration and training.

With Mr. Ahamed, the President also sought Indian assistance to train his people in the fisheries sector, education, training, small and medium-scale enterprises and issues related to piracy.

Facing the twin scourges of piracy and terrorism, Puntland has been able to eradicate piracy activities from key coastal towns, including the former piracy hub of Eyl. The government has deployed anti-piracy forces (the Puntland Maritime Police Force) at Eyl and plans to send the force to other coastal towns. In 2010, Puntland Parliament passed Somalia's first-ever anti-piracy law. Speaking at a public engagement on Tuesday, Mr. Farolez said the Indian assistance was vital to ensure alternative likelihood for coastal communities affected by piracy and illegal fishing and reviving fishing activity that had been disrupted. “ We believe assistance and working partnership between Puntland institutions and the international community, particularly the Indian Ocean region, will be an efficient option to finally defeat piracy.”

Somali leader backs Indian action against pirates

Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 10:15
NEW DELHI : Against the backdrop of Somali pirates currently holding over 60 Indian sailors as hostages, the African country's Puntland state has backed military operations to rescue them and to fight piracy, even as its President Abdirahman Mohammed Mohamud Farole is in India to work out a naval capacity building agreement.

"I always support the military operations to fight piracy," Farole told reporters on the sidelines of an event he ­dressed at the Indian Council for World Affairs (ICWA) at Sapru House here.

He was responding to queries if the Puntland government will support Indian military action to rescue its sailors held hostage by Somali pirates all along Somalia's 3,300-km coast, of which 1,300 km fall in Puntland's jurisdiction.

However, the feasibility of operations depended on the assessment of those forces wanting to take action. "If they ask for our support on the land, we can assist them," he added.

Puntland is a semi-autonomous state in north-eastern Somalia, which is now witnessing credible governance under Farole after two decades of internal conflict.

However, Farole, a leading anti-piracy advocate, had a word of caution on the fight against the sea brigands. "If you don't stop the option of ransom payment, you won't stop piracy. That (ransom) encourages new recruits and that (piracy) never ends," he said.

The other option to deter the pirates, according to the Puntland president, was to fight indirectly through other means such as denying access to the seas for the pirates and ensuring economic growth on the Somali coast that could offer youths alternative employment opportunities.

Though there were no ship held hostage in Puntland as of now, Farole admitted that pirates did escape into their territory "sometimes" from neighbouring areas when the government forces fight them on land.

"We are fighting them on the land, but we do not have support from the sea. We do not have the means to reach them in the sea. International forces off the shore do not want to hurt them because they are afraid the hostage may be hurt and that doesn't work (in the anti-piracy fight)," he said.

The Puntland chief, who is scheduled to meet Indian political leadership, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Wednesday, said he will discuss a military agreement with India, particularly in capacity building of its forces to fight piracy both on land and at sea.

"Yes, definitely. Training...mainly to support training," he said to queries if a military agreement would be discussed with the Indian leaders.However, he said his government does not allow any foreign military base in Puntland.

On the endstate he wished to achieve in both the fight against piracy and governance in Somalia that has been torn apart due to two decades of internal strife, he said: "Ten years from now, I expect Somalia to be united and prosperous, and become a honourable part of the comity of nations."

Earlier, addressing a gathering of diplomats, former ambassadors and strategic affairs experts, Farole said his government is committed to do its utmost to safely release hostages held by pirates in the region, although most pirates had relocated outside Puntland.

"Puntland government strongly and consistently rejects ransom payments as the primary factor fuelling piracy attacks. We believe that expensive naval patrols off the coast of Somalia cannot eradicate piracy alone, as long as the world continues to neglect the domestic conditions that produce piracy."

He also noted that the costs and legal ramifications of piracy prosecutions in foreign countries is another obstacle. "These are problems that could be overcome by pursuing a new comprehensive approach to tackling piracy in full partnership with the Somali people and their institutions," he added.
(IANS)

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I (RajeshA) have been saying in the past that we need to bolster our presence in Puntland and that Puntland is India's key to domination of the Indian Ocean.

I have written extensively in this thread on how we should go about in Somalia region.

[shyamd]

Thanks RajeshA ji. Indeed it presents a big opportunity for us and our businesses. Its not without challenges also because of the tribal, clan based problems, but we have dealt with this issue and still deal with this issue on a regular basis in India. I think we have a good experience on such matters and we have the expertise, military power, man power and the resources to develop the nation.

In the past several months alone, several Indian corporations have already set up shop in the state,which includes a pharmaceutical firm and a chain of stores which specialise in animal hides.

[RajeshA]

From a post from a Pakistani in UK, I learned that Pakistani mosques in UK are trying to attract Somalis to pray with them by offering Somali classes!!!

Now why would racist Pakis be so interested in networking with Somalis?