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India-Pakistan
Indian navy thwarts piracy attempt in Gulf of Aden
2009-05-29
India Today reports 2 pirates killed and 6 captured
Indian navy warship INS Talwar Thursday thwarted a piracy attempt against a merchant vessel carrying Indian crew in the Gulf of Aden and caught six pirates, the private Indo-Asian News Service reported Friday.

INS Talwar received a distress call from a vessel MV Maud flying Liberian flag that eight pirates were approaching the ship in a skiff, said the report. The warship immediately sent a helicopter and small boats to prevent the pirates from attacking the vessel, said the report.

A month ago, an Indian naval ship, Nirdeshak, caught nine sea-pirates with the help of Spanish and French navies off the coast of the African island nation of Seychelles.
Posted by:john frum

#1  INS Talwar, a guided missile frigate, was escorting a three-vessel group in the international recommended transit corridor in the Gulf of Aden when Maud crew noticed an eight-member pirate gang in a skiff approaching towards it.

The vessel's captain sent a distress signal to Talwar, which rushed a helicopter to ward off the piracy attack.

"There was just about two-mile visibility at that hour due to haze. And that short distance and high speed of the skiff left Talwar with little time to respond," the sources said.

As the helicopter approached the merchant vessel, Navy personnel noticed two of the pirates trying to board the ship after locking a ladder on it. The Navy fired at the two men, who fell into the sea.

"We shot at the two pirates boarding the ship and they fell into the sea. We did not notice them resurfacing. We are not sure about their fate," sources said.

Later, Talwar sent its men in a rigid hull inflated boat (RHIB) to the pirate's skiff. The brigands surrendered to the navy, which disarmed them and dumped their fuel. The Navy also recovered a large cache of arms that included AK-47 rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, a rocket launcher, ammunition, GPS and mobile phones.

The six men on the skiff, which was adrift, were later picked by another foreign warship, navy sources said.
Posted by: john frum   2009-05-29 10:10  

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