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A Royal Navy task force has successfully rescued a group of fishermen in the Indian Ocean following a dramatic special operation.
The special force, made up of Royal Marines and sailors from the destroyer HMS Cornwall, seized 17 pirates and freed five fishermen after storming a trawler. They also seized number of weapons including rocket-propelled grenades. The fishermen, who were from the Yemen, had been held for almost three months.
Somali-based pirates have been constantly attacking fishing vessels from a number of countries over the past two years, notably Spain, France, South Korea and India. Last year the owner of one Spanish fishing company was reported to have paid a ransom to get their crew back, although this was later denied. Some factory trawlers now carry armed security guards.
The six-strong Royal Navy team launched the raid after being alerted by a South Korean vessel. However, they were forced to release the pirates because they do not have the legal powers to prosecute them. An MOD spokesman said that unless international navies actually capture pirates in the "very act of piracy" there is a very limited basis for prosecution.
HMS Cornwall's commanding officer, Commander David Wilkinson, said: "My highly trained team has conducted a very slick boarding operation which has ensured that this pirate vessel is no longer able to operate.This demonstrates the reassurance and security offered by the presence in these waters of HMS Cornwall and other warships from Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)." The CMF is a 25-nation coalition dedicated to countering the piracy menace in the Gulf of Aden and off the east coast of Somalia.
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