Radical Islamic Militant Somali Pirates!

According to Jane's Terrorism and Security Monitor, certain insurgents are using pirates to smuggle weapons and supplies and help provide bases in return. (Subscription - report mentioned on the BBC, see link above.)


The BBC reports additionally::

Quote:

BBC Somalia analyst Mohamed Mohamed says such pirate gangs are usually made up of three different types:

• Ex-fishermen, who are considered the brains of the operation because they know the sea
• Ex-militiamen, who are considered the muscle - having fought for various Somali clan warlords
• The technical experts, who are the computer geeks and know how to operate the hi-tech equipment needed to operate as a pirate - satellite phones, GPS and military hardware.

BRUSSELS: The European Union formally launched on Monday an anti-piracy security operation off the coast of Somalia -- its first ever naval mission -- the EU’s French presidency said.

Dubbed Operation Atalanta, the mission was endorsed by the block’s defence ministers at talks in Brussels. EU ships will also help protect UN and other vulnerable vessels seeking to transport aid into strife-torn Somalia.

Residents confirmed fears that ransom payments to pirates were being passed onto the Islamist movement and were fueling the insurgency against President Abdullahi Yusuf's government.

Somalis in the diaspora - especially in Kenya, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and the UK - finance the pirate gangs and keep a large chunk of the ransom money, estimated at more than £20m this year alone, far more than Puntland's annual budget. But the gangs of gunmen sometimes split hundreds of thousands of pounds between them.

In the region's bigger towns, such as Garowe and Bosasso on the Gulf of Aden coast, a successful hijack is often celebrated with a meal and qat-chewing session at an expensive hotel.

One successful pirate based in Garowe, Abshir Salad, said: "First we look to buy a nice house and car. Then we buy guns and other weapons. The rest of the money we use to relax."

The pirates appear to have little fear of arrest by the weak administration, who many suspect of involvement in the trade. By spreading the money to local officials, chiefs, relatives and friends, the pirates have created strong logistical and intelligence networks, and avoided the clan-based fighting that affects so much of the rest of the country.

And though few believe the pirates when they claim to be eco-warriors or marines defending Somali waters from foreign exploitation, their daring and wealth has earned them respect. It has become something of a tradition for successful pirates to take additional wives, marrying them in lavish ceremonies.

Naimo, 21, from Garowe, said she had attended a wedding last month of the sort "I had never seen before".

"It's true that girls are interested in marrying pirates because they have a lot of money. Ordinary men cannot afford weddings like this," she said.

Why bother? You can't understand the simple.