Puntland is No Longer a Safe Haven for Pirates… Police Raids Capture 150

By Jama Deperani, Somalia Report

Police from Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland arrested 150 pirates during a two week anti-piracy operation in Jariban and Garacad area of Mudug region, senior government officials told Somalia Report on Sunday.

“Police were busy conducting operations against pirates over the last two weeks. We targeted their main centers and captured 150 pirates and many of their weapons,” said Abdirashid Cadceed, Puntland’s Police Commander in Mudug region.

“Most of them were captured in Garacad while they were preparing their vessels to hijack other ships. We also seized PKMs, RPG-7s, AK-47s, and a number of pistols. Many of the pirates and their weapons are now in Jariban district’s police station in Mudug region and soon we will transfer them to Garowe, the capital city of Puntland, to face the court,” explained the police commander.

The operations will continue in all districts of Mudug region to prevent pirates from using those areas as pirate hubs.

“This is first step of our operations against pirates. We are planning to remove pirates from the entire region. We will continue detaining pirates, our courts will continue to charge them, and our government will continue to seize their weapons and vehicles,” he added.

Last week Puntland police seized pirates’ booty in Garacad after a drunken pirate killed two civilians.

Republished with permission, (c) 2011 Somalia Report.

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