April 29, 2006
(DPA)
MANAMA – The US government is to repatriate 10 of 12 Somalis who fired at two US Navy vessels in March, the US Navy 5th Fleet command said on Saturday in Bahrain.
The US government worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross to arrange for the April 29 repatriation, the statement said. The two remaining Somalis are receiving follow-on medical care aboard USS Peleliu for injuries sustained during the incident. According to the US Navy version of the incident at about 5:40 a.m. on March 18, the Somalis aroused suspicion similar to previous pirate activity in the area, when boarding teams were ordered to investigate. As the boarding teams approached a small Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats, the Somalis opened fire. Cape St. George, a guided missile cruiser, and Gonzalez, a guided missile destroyer, were conducting maritime security operations in the area as part of Combined Task Force 150 when they spotted a suspect vessel towing two smaller skiffs heading west toward the coast. As the Gonzalez boarding teams prepared to board the vessels, the two Norfolk, Va.-based Navy ships noticed the group of suspected pirates were apparently brandishing rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers, the statement said. The suspects opened fire on the boarding teams prompting a response from US forces. One Somali was killed and a fire broke out aboard the main vessel, which was destroyed. Navy Boarding teams from Cape St. George and Gonzalez detained the 12 Somalis involved and confiscated an RPG launcher, automatic weapons and the two remaining skiffs, the statement said. U.S. Sailors were not injured. US and Denmark provided the 12 with medical care. The 12 were then screened for possible criminal activity and terrorists links, the statement said. The U.S. government later decided repatriation would be the most effective and appropriate course of action. Source: dpa, April 29, 2006
