Shabaab militia have tried to impose brutal law and order in Somalia Photo: Reuters Islamic Fighters Enter Somalia Pirate Town And Plan To Attack -- The Telegraph
The piracy crisis in the Indian Ocean took a dramatic new twist as gunmen from Somalia's hardline Islamist movement entered the fray in hope of spoils from the hijacked Saudi oil tanker, the Sirius Star.
The fighters from the Shabaab militia, a fundamentalist movement likened to an African Taliban, were reported to have turned up in the port of Haradheere in southern Somalia, close to where the tanker is currently anchored.
Some reports said the Islamists, who have tried to impose brutal law and order on Somalia's warring clans, had the pirates themselves in their sights.
Others in Haradheere, however, said it was thought that they had arrived in the hope of collecting a share of any ransom money.
The pirate group that hijacked the tanker, which is carrying $100 million worth of oil, have demanded a $25 million ransom for return of the vessel and its 25-strong crew, which includes two Britons.
"The Islamists arrived searching for the pirates and the whereabouts of the Saudi ship," said a clan elder in Haradheere.
Some reports said the Islamists, who have tried to impose brutal law and order on Somalia's warring clans, had the pirates themselves in their sights.
Others in Haradheere, however, said it was thought that they had arrived in the hope of collecting a share of any ransom money.
The pirate group that hijacked the tanker, which is carrying $100 million worth of oil, have demanded a $25 million ransom for return of the vessel and its 25-strong crew, which includes two Britons.
"The Islamists arrived searching for the pirates and the whereabouts of the Saudi ship," said a clan elder in Haradheere.
Read more ....
My Comment: What surprises me is that it took this long for the more extreme Islamists to realize that there is a considerable amount of money for them to take in this environment.
Let us see how generous the pirates will be to these extremists.
Others in Haradheere, however, said it was thought that they had arrived in the hope of collecting a share of any ransom money.
The pirate group that hijacked the tanker, which is carrying $100 million worth of oil, have demanded a $25 million ransom for return of the vessel and its 25-strong crew, which includes two Britons.
"The Islamists arrived searching for the pirates and the whereabouts of the Saudi ship," said a clan elder in Haradheere.
Read more ....
My Comment: What surprises me is that it took this long for the more extreme Islamists to realize that there is a considerable amount of money for them to take in this environment.
Let us see how generous the pirates will be to these extremists.