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Somali Forces Free Panama-Flagged Ship

03 June 2010 20:34 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Security forces in Somaliaâ€™s semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland Thursday freed a Panama-flagged vessel seized by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, APA reports quoting allheadlinenews.com website.
The pirates killed the Pakistani captain of the MV QSM Dubai during the clash, according to a Somalian government official.
Two Somali soldiers were injured in the gun battle, which freed 24 crew members from Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ghana.
"Our troops stormed the Panama-flagged vessel and engaged the pirates. There was brief fighting before they defeated them," Said Mohamed Raage, minister of ports and marine transport told reporters.
Somali forces decided to use force after the pirates refused to surrender, Raage said, adding "We arrested seven pirates after they killed the captain of the ship."
The ship was carrying sugar from Brazil to Bossaso, a city in northern Somalia.
The 15,220 tonne vessel was hijacked Wednesday by pirates while it was travelling inside of the internationally recommended transit corridor.
Puntland, which has declared itself an autonomous state within Somalia, is believed to be a base of operations for the pirates.