NAIROBI, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. senior
military official has expressed concern over the growing incidents of piracy and
terrorism along the Horn of Africa and pledged to train and support soldiers in
the region to fight the menace.
Speaking in Nairobi late Tuesday, General William Kip
Ward, who heads the U.S. Africa Command (Africom), said regional countries
should team up to fight international crimes.
"Piracy is a matter of concern to the world. The U.S.
government, through the military, is now ready to offer sufficient training to
officers from countries that have sought assistance," Ward told journalists in
Nairobi.
Ward said that the U.S. army did not plan rescue
operations on hijacked ships because many were private.
Ward, who is in Kenya for an official tour, said high
level consultations were going on with relevant authorities in the command
forces to come up with a wide-ranging solution.
He did not elaborate on the exact action to be taken
once the "high level talks" are completed. "It will be a solution that will curb
piracy in the affected parts of the Gulf of Aden and the Somalia coast," he
added.
"This is a problem that needs a coordinated approach.
And for that kind of approach to be found, there must be a framework developed
to deal with it. It is the framework that is being worked on," he said.
He said the training would equip African armies with
skills to counter regional terrorism, but he also said they had no evidence to
link pirates to international terrorists operating under al-Qaeda.
"Even though both are extremists engaging in
international crime, we have no evidence so far linking the two to the piracy
problem in the Indian Ocean," Ward said.
"Terrorism is complicated. We are joining hands with
African countries to bring the menace down," said the commander. He, however,
said the United States would not send troops to trouble spots in Africa.
The U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger said
talks were underway with the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia to
restore peace in the lawless country.
He said the international community was keen to
ensure there was no more fighting in Somalia where armed militia groups and
pirates continued to operate with the high levels of impunity.
"It is a concern for all and the international
community is keenly following the developments in Somalia," said the U.S. envoy
to Kenya.
"I have talked on several occasions with the Somali
president and premier, and we are planning another round of talks. All we want
is to see them get a cordial working relationship for the sake of their
country's stability," he said.
Ward said that his command would work with various
forces including the Eastern Africa Standby Brigade, which has announced that it
planned to send troops to protect crucial trade routes in the Indian Ocean once
fully operational.
U.S. to cooperate with Kenya in
fighting rampant piracy off Somali
coast
NAIROBI, Nov. 24
(Xinhua) -- The U.S. government said on Monday it will work with Kenya to fight
rampant piracy which has rocked the coast of Somalia. Full story
Analysis: What causes rampant Somali
piracies?
BEIJING, Nov. 22
(Xinhua) -- Anarchy in Somalia, lack of a coordinated international strategy to
fight the kidnapping epidemic and a vicious ransom-weaponry cycle have resulted
in rampant piracies in the waters off Somali, analysts say.
Eyes across the world recently have been staring at the
Gulf of Aden, an area almost twice the size of Alaska flanked by Yemen and
Somalia, where Somali pirates are making newspaper headlines by capturing
several vessels within a few days including the largest oil tanker Sirius Star
ever kidnapped. Full story
Time to get down to business with
pirate scourge off Somalia
BEIJING, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- With their Nov. 15 capture of the Sirius Star, one
of the world's largest oil tankers carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi oil, the
biggest vessel ever hijacked at sea, Somali pirates leaped into the global
spotlight, setting alarm bells ringing on the seriousness of the threat they
pose. Full story
Somali pirates wreak havoc along key
shipping route
BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Attacks by pirates off the
coast of Somalia have fiercely intensified, with five vessels reportedly
hijacked in the past week, including Saudi-owned supertanker Sirius Star, the
largest vessel ever seized at sea.
On Wednesday, a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship was confirmed
to have been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden near the coast of Yemen. Full story
Chinese FM: China to exert utmost
effort to rescue its fishing ship hijacked by Somali
pirates
BEIJING, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry
was further checking the information about the hijack of a Chinese fishing ship
seized by Somali pirates, and would exert utmost effort to rescue the ship and
the crew aboard, according to the consular news released Friday evening by
Chinese Foreign Ministry on its web site.
Chinese Foreign Ministry was going to spare no effort to
rescue the seized ship and the crew aboard, in coordination with relevant
organizations and Chinese overseas representative offices, according to the
news. Full story
Somali pirates wreak havoc along key
shipping route
BEIJING, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- Attacks by pirates off the
coast of Somalia have fiercely intensified, with five vessels reportedly
hijacked in the past week, including Saudi-owned supertanker Sirius Star, the
largest vessel ever seized at sea.
On Wednesday, a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship was confirmed
to have been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden near the coast of Yemen. Full story
