Piracy REPORT:Piracy
UPDATE
Puntland Foils Pirates' Hijacking Plans
Massive Operation Results in Arrests, Boat Seizures in Gara’ad District
By AWEYS CADDE 11/11/2011
Somali Pirate (File Photo)
@Somalia Report
Somali Pirate (File Photo)

Local officials and police of Gara’ad district of Mudug region in Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland, with the help of residents and elders, successfully removed pirates from the district and surrounding areas.

Gara'ad Police Commissioner Colonel Abdilahi Khalif Karakoot spoke to Somalia Report about the operation which lasted several weeks.

“We captured many vehicles from the pirates as well as nine speed boats they were going to use to hijack other ships,” he explained.

“We foiled more than ten plans to hijack ships. We captured dozens of pirates and transferred them to Galkayo. We received help from Mudug region administration to fight against the pirates,” said the commissioner.

The commissioner explained that at the moment there are no pirates in the district or surrounding areas due to the successful operation carried out by the security forces with the support of the local elders and residents.

“The residents are very happy that pirates have been eradicated from the district. The sound of gunfire has also dramatically decreased since the pirates left," he said.

“The people understood that pirates were portraying a bad image of Somalia and decided to fight against them,” Karakoot added.

Gara’ad was one of the biggest bases for pirates, which they used to anchor hijacked ships as they waited for ransom.

Jariiban District Operations

Operations carried out by the security forces of Jariiban district of Mudug region on Friday resulted in the arrest of ten Somali pirates who planned to attack ships.

The chairman of Jariiban district, Abdikarim Feysal, said the pirates were transferred to Galkayo Prison and will be brought before the court. He also thanked the civilians for working helping them eradicate the pirates from the district.

"The days of pirates in this area are over. They have committed so many crimes including drug use and carrying illegal weapons. We thank the residents for their informing us," he told Somalia Report.