Yemen foils Somali pirates hijack attempt on foreign ship

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Yemen foils Somali pirates hijack attempt on foreign ship

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emen's coast-guard foiled an attempt of Somali pirates to hijack a foreign merchant cargo ship in the strategic Red Sea Strait of Bab al-Mandab, the country's Defense Ministry said on Friday.

Y"Four Somali pirates onboard a high-speed boat tried to seize a foreign merchant cargo ship off the Yemeni island of Meion in Bab Al-Mandab," the ministry's website said.

es and forced them to flee the scene," it added. The ministry did not reveal when the botched hijack attempt occurred or identify the nationality of the ship. Bab Al-Mandab Strait is located between the waters of Yemen a

"The Yemeni coast-guard forces, who were in charge of escorting the sailing cargo ship when passed through the Yemeni regional waters, fired hail of bullets towards the pira
tnd Somalia. On August 29, Yemen said it raised alert level and tightened security along the country's coastline and the Gulf of Aden for fears of hijack attempts by Somali pirates or possible infiltration of Somali al-Qaida militants to Yemen, according to state media.

These tighten security measures have been adopted by Sanaa government since the Somali-based al-Qaida wing Harakat al-Shabab al-Mujahideen announced its intention to support the Yemeni-based branch of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) earlier this year. Somali Go

The impoverished Arab country also said it increased its coast- guard patrol boats deployed along the Yemeni coastline and the Gulf of Aden to prevent any hijacking attempts in the Yemeni waters or possible infiltration by the Somali extremists into the Yemeni territories

.vernment condemns militants' aid agencies banMogadishu, 17 September 2010): The Somali Government strongly condemns the decision by Al-Shabab to order three aid agencies to stop helping the needy people in Somalia. The recent threat affected HornRelief, Mercy Corps and Fews Net. Earlier Alshabab banned and looted several UN and other international NGOs including WFP.

Relief agencies that aid millions of Somalis are hampered by the danger to their workers posed by Alshabab and their lack of respect for international humanitarian law.

The move by Al-Shabab shows their disrespect for over a million internally displaced people in Somalia. Most of the displaced live in poor conditions in makeshift sites in southern and central Somalia.

"This move is part of their agenda to remove all other sources of help so that they are forced to become more dependant on Al Shabab in poor regions. Denying the Somali people access to humanitarian aid is what they are now resorting to. They offer nothing but death and destruction."

Ministry of Information, Mogadishu