French commandos and the navy helped to free the couple take hostage by Somali pirates two weeks ago Photo: Getty Images From Telegraph:
French commandos stormed a sailboat to free two French tourists who were being held by heavily-armed Somali pirates, President Nicolas Sarkozy has said.
One pirate was killed and another six captured in the lightning raid, which lasted 10 minutes. The hostages were unharmed.
With the backing from a French warship stationed nearby, some thirty commandos swooped on the pirates. They received support from Germany and Malaysia, according to the Elysée.
The rescue mission coincided with the news that a Hong Kong-registered chemical tanker has been seized and its 22 crew members taken hostage in the same area.
"France will not allow crime to pay," declared Mr Sarkozy, who dispatched the commando unit after receiving information that the pirates were approaching a highly-protected coastal base, where rescue efforts would have been far riskier
Read more ....
My Comment: With current trends continuing, piracy will not be isolated off the coasts of Somalia or Nigeria, but probably off the coast for most of Africa.