Fighting Pirates On Solid Ground: Puntland Foils Hijacking Plans

Massive Operation Results in Arrests, Boat Seizures in Gara’ad District

By Aweys Cadde, Somalia Report

Local officials and police of Gara’ad district of Mudug region in Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland, with the help of residents and elders, successfully removed pirates from the district and surrounding areas.

Gara’ad Police Commissioner Colonel Abdilahi Khalif Karakoot spoke to Somalia Report about the operation which lasted several weeks.

“We captured many vehicles from the pirates as well as nine speed boats they were going to use to hijack other ships,” he explained.

“We foiled more than ten plans to hijack ships. We captured dozens of pirates and transferred them to Galkayo. We received help from Mudug region administration to fight against the pirates,” said the commissioner.

The commissioner explained that at the moment there are no pirates in the district or surrounding areas due to the successful operation carried out by the security forces with the support of the local elders and residents.

“The residents are very happy that pirates have been eradicated from the district. The sound of gunfire has also dramatically decreased since the pirates left,” he said.

“The people understood that pirates were portraying a bad image of Somalia and decided to fight against them,” Karakoot added.

Gara’ad was one of the biggest bases for pirates, which they used to anchor hijacked ships as they waited for ransom.

(c) SomaliaReport.com