Somalia: Pirates Accuse Hostages of Killing Their Comrades, Want Payment
An armed showdown continues off of Somalia's northern coast for the third straight day, with a coalition of Somali, American and German warships surrounding a group of pirates holding people hostage.
The group of Somali pirates is estimated to number 60 heavily-armed men, according to military sources in the Somali region of Puntland.
The pirates hijacked the Golden Nori chemical tanker in late October, but after weeks of hunting, authorities have managed to surround the ship near Puntland's port of Bossaso.
A spokesman for the pirates told Radio Garowe that the Golden Nori destroyed a fishing boat and killed two Somali civilians related to the pirate leaders.
The hijacking of the Golden Nori was in response to the double murder and the destruction of valuable property, according to the pirates' spokesman who declined to be named in print.
He claimed that the Golden Nori's owner "promised to pay" for the damages, at which point the hostages from Benin and the Philippines would be released.
But the Puntland administration considers the hijackers pirates and has threatened to use military force to retake control of the Golden Nori.
The pirates have thus far refused to accept to surrender, despite dire warning issued by Puntland Fisheries Minister Mohamed Said Rage. [ Full story]
Many fear the showdown will lead to a bloody battle between the pirates and coalition forces, setting a new precedent of violence along the Somali coast.
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