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Kenya orders fighter jets to patrol against Somali pirates
Mombasa, Kenya (AFP) Dec 15, 2008 Kenya will deploy fighter jets alongside its warships as it seeks to protect its territorial waters from increasingly brazen Somali pirates, the army chief said Monday. "Kenya will come out boldly to tackle piracy and stringent measures have been put in place to counter any acts of piracy in Kenyan waters," Chief of General Staff Jeremiah Kianga told journalists in the main port of Mombasa. Somali pirates have enjoyed a bumper 2008, attacking more than 100 ships and raking in an estimated 120 million dollars (90 million euros) in ransom money. Kenyan waters have recently proved a popular hunting ground for the pirates. "We are expecting about 16cruise ships at the port of Mombasa between December and March and we want to ensure the safety of the incoming ships is given top priority," said Kianga. A series of high-profile hijackings have jolted the international community into action, with the dispatching of naval forces by the European Union and NATO to bolster existing operations in the region. "We have ships at sea, aircraft surveillance and fighters ready to respond with any kind of distress in the Indian Ocean," said Kianga. "We are concentrating at the moment on Kenyan waters due to the increasing piracy threats. We have put pirates on notice and we shall sink them if they try to cross onto Kenyan waters." Britain and Kenya signed a memorandum of understanding last week on the arrest, transfer and prosecution of Somali pirates detained by British naval vessels. The deal will provide legal support for Britain to hand over to Kenya suspected pirates whom its naval fleet may detain during operations in the Gulf of Aden or the Indian Ocean. Related Links 21st Century Pirates
India to deploy aircraft against pirates: report
New Delhi (AFP) Dec 14, 2008India is to station a naval surveillance aircraft in the Gulf of Aden to boost its anti-piracy efforts in the region, a newspaper report on Sunday quoted a military officer as saying. |
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