The rise in piracy along the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden in recent months has given rise to fears that a premature withdrawal of US military forces in Iraq would lead to an explosion of piracy in the region and increased attacks on Iraqi citizens. During a press conference held in Baghdad yesterday, Iraqi defense minister, Abdel Qader Jassem Mohammed al-Obeidi, warned that if coalition forces “withdraw precipitously, our gulf will become like the Gulf of Aden, where there have been 95 acts of piracy.” The ever-increasing boldness of the Somali-based piracy rings is apparent. Originally content with seizing fishing trawlers, returning the ships to their owners for a sizeable ransom, the pirates have moved on to bigger, better and more expensive vessels. Cargo ships have been frequent recent targets and now, with the seizure of the Sirius Star, a Saudi oil tanker, it appears that there is...
Recent Comments