From Tuesday, Dec. 9, at least four British, French and Greek warships, two reconnaissance planes and 150 marines will escort merchant ships sailing through the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa waters. This force will expand to 6 naval vessels, 3 aircraft and 1,000 marines.
But meanwhile, DEBKAfile's military and counter-terrors sources report, the pirates have set up a land-based intelligence-financial-logistic logistic network in the Persian Gulf, East Africa and… northern Europe.
Royal Navy Rear Adm. Phillip Jones will oversee the EU mission from the RAF Northwood base in the UK, while Greek Commodore Antonios Papaioannou will be on-the-spot commander.
The EU force will coordinate its operations with US, Russian, Indian and Malaysian naval units in the region, although their rules of engagement are not uniform.
DEBKA-Net-Weekly 373, revealed on Nov. 21, information turned up by the US Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet intelligence that the Somali pirates had organized their traffic on business lines by establishing a sort of "back office" in Abu Dhabi.
It is run by money changers earning a rake-off on ransom payments as the pirates' agents. They have since established similar "agencies" in Mombasa, Kenya; Piraeus, Greece; Naples, Italy; and Rotterdam, Netherlands, which work through spies at shipping and marine insurance firms.
Here is how the system works, according to DEBKAfile's exclusive sources: The pirates' undercover agents gather information from their shipping contacts in Gulf, East African and European ports on the merchant vessels heading for the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and the cargoes. They brief the pirates on the presence of security guards and weapons available for the crew aboard the vessel.
The pirates are always on the lookout for “special cargoes”, meaning smuggled goods or merchandise exported illegally or contrary to international law, such as clandestine weapons shipments.
Such consignments, like that of the Ukrainian MV Faina, which carried a large unregistered cargo of 33 T-72 tanks and other armaments - and is still held - increase the ransom value of the vessel and pay more than routine freights.
The pirates also use their proxies to negotiate ransoms and terms for releasing the hijacked vessels, rather than exposing themselves and their locations. These front men also go shopping for the latest word in speed boats, navigation equipment, GPS, communications gear, food, fuel and other supplies.
DEBKAfile's counter-terror sources report that the pirates' logistics and intelligence are far superior to that of the European counter-terror operation. This gap seriously detracts from the international patrol fleet's prospects of getting to grips with the pirates, who have attacked more than 90 vessels this year and successfully seized more than 36 on the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Military sources: 100 million Israeli shekels Barak approved for Gaza will feed Hamas war chest
Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak ordered the 100 million Israeli shekels in currency bills (equivalent to $25.6 million) to be transferred by Israeli armored cars to the Gaza Strip via the West Bank Wednesday, Dec. 10. He bowed to appeals from Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayad and the governor of the Bank of Israel Stanley Fischer. The latter was concerned by complaints from the World Bank that Gaza's banks were closing their doors for lack of cash and the Hamas administration was unable to cover its payroll.
Military sources told DEBKAfile: This is a repeat performance of Hamas' fuel scam.
This is how it works: Hamas hoards high-quality fuel from Israel in secret emergency stores ready for use by its military units against an Israeli incursion of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli fuel supplies thus support Hamas' war against Israel.
Meanwhile, Hamas tunnels from Egyptian Sinai are used to smuggle low quality diesel fuel, estimated at 1 million liters a week, which is sold to the population at top prices for cash.
Neither the Egyptian nor the Israeli authorities lift a finger to stop this nefarious traffic.
When Palestinian missile attacks escalate and Israel suspends its fuel supplies through the Gaza crossings, Hamas stages power outages for the benefit of the world media to show how Israel is starving the Palestinians of the energy needed for running Gaza's hospitals and power stations.
The shekel shortage is another piece of theater directed by Hamas in the certainty that Israel's defense leaders will bow to outside pressure and deliver.
By the same token, the Palestinian extremists were certain that nothing would come of the special discussion held Wednesday by prime minister Ehud Olmert, foreign minister Tzipi Livni, Barak, military officials and intelligence directors on whether to extend the six-month "ceasefire" when it expires on Dec. 16. The conference was planned as a serious review of the options for dealing with the incessant Palestinian missile blitz – more than 200 fired in less than a month, including four Grad Katyusha rockets – and the state of play between Gaza and the West Bank.
The defense minister chose to wave the missile assault aside and wave through a resupply of cash for Hamas' war chest on the same day as this critical discussion.
DEBKAfile's political sources report that Barak's purpose was to humiliate Livni – as Labor and Kadima leaders they head rival parties facing a general election. Livni has taken the position that passivity is no answer for the Hamas offensive and a substantial Israeli military response can no longer be avoided.
for an immediate end to the bloodshed. 