While local government officials in Hobyo have deputized pirate gangs to ring off coastal villages and block out the Shabab, down the beach in Xarardheere, another pirate lair, elders said that other pirates recently agreed to split their ransoms with the Shabab and Hizbul Islam, another Islamist insurgent group.
The militant Islamists had originally vowed to shut down piracy in Xarardheere, claiming it was unholy, but apparently the money was too good. This seems to be beginning of the West’s worst Somali nightmare, with two of the country’s biggest growth industries — piracy and Islamist radicalism — joining hands.
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Mr. Garfanji is believed to have hijacked a half-dozen ships and used millions of dollars in ransom money to build a small infantry division of several hundred men, 80 heavy machine guns and a fleet (a half dozen) of large trucks with antiaircraft guns — not exactly typical pirate gear of skiffs and grappling hooks.
While some of his troops wear jeans with “Play Boy” stitched on the seat, others sport crisp new camouflage uniforms, seemingly more organized than just about any other militia in Somalia.
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Interesting articles. There were all sorts of tidbits that caught my attention. From the deputizing of pirates for coastal protection against jihadist pirates (letter of marque anyone?), to pirates raising small armies with the money they get from hijacking ships to protect their operations on land. The jihadist privateering concept is starting to catch on as well and no telling what Al Shabab and company will do with this capability. Piracy is an industry that is getting wealthier, bigger, more organized, more lethal and everyone wants a piece in Somalia.
The other little detail I wanted to mention is that both authors of these articles below have taken two different approaches to the piracy issue. Mr. Gettlemen focused on the security threat and true intentions of the pirates, and the dork from AFP focused on what the pirates wanted him to write about. Which was ‘countries are stealing our fish, and it is our duty as pirates to hijack ships’ (hundreds of miles away from your shores? really?). sniff sniff….I weep for the pirate…lol Read the two stories and you will see exactly what I am talking about. –Matt
In Somali Civil War, Both Sides Embrace Pirates
In the heart of a Somali pirates’ lair
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In Somali Civil War, Both Sides Embrace Pirates
By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN
September 1, 2010
HOBYO, Somalia — Ismail Haji Noor, a local government official, recently arrived in this notorious pirate den with a simple message: we need your help.
With the Shabab militant group sweeping across Somalia and the American-backed central government teetering on life support, Mr. Noor stood on a beach flanked by dozens of pirate gunmen, two hijacked ships over his shoulder, and announced, “From now on we’ll be working together.”
He hugged several well-known pirate bosses and called them “brother” and later explained that while he saw the pirates as criminals and eventually wanted to rehabilitate them, right now the Shabab were a much graver threat.
“Squished between the two, we have to become friends with the pirates,” Mr. Noor said. “Actually, this is a great opportunity.”
For years, Somalia’s heavily armed pirate gangs seemed content to rob and hijack on the high seas and not get sucked into the messy civil war on land. Now, that may be changing, and the pirates are taking sides — both sides.
While local government officials in Hobyo have deputized pirate gangs to ring off coastal villages and block out the Shabab, down the beach in Xarardheere, another pirate lair, elders said that other pirates recently agreed to split their ransoms with the Shabab and Hizbul Islam, another Islamist insurgent group.