The Dutch have – finally - joined the battle against Somali pirates. Earlier today, the Dutch navy announced it captured seven priates and freed 20 of their captives:

The Dutch navy captured seven suspected Somali pirates and freed 20 captives in the strategic Gulf of Aden shipping lane on Saturday, Dutch and NATO authorities said.

“This morning we intercepted a request for assistance from a Greek-owned ship from the Marshall Islands, the Handytankers Magic, that had fallen victim to a pirate attack,” Liuetenant Commander Alexandre Fernandes told AFP from aboard the Portuguese frigate Corte Real, which is under the NATO flag.

“We immediately dispatched a Dutch NATO ship,” which found a fishing vessel at the scene with seven suspected pirates and 20 hostages on board.

“The suspected pirates were identified and disarmed. The 20 captives were released.”

More: (more…)

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Sad but not surprising news from Somalia: as the kidnapping and murder of foreign aid workers continues to escalate, the poor and hungry people they went to help now face a growing humanitarian crisis. Via Africa News Search:| MORE ›

Good news in the fight against maritime terrorism: the US and Canada have announced separate plans to protect ships that have been the target of Somali pirates. Canada is sending a warship to protect UN food shipments to Somalia (via CNN):| MORE ›