In response to a failed pirate hijacking of a ship in the Gulf of Aden, Somalia’s maritime police force has increased patrols in the area. The commander of the maritime force in the semiautonomous region of Puntland, Abdullahi Mohamed Ahmed, stated that patrols in the waters have doubled and are on a 24-hour rotation to deter pirates. He mentioned that they now have to contend with not only al-Shabab but also the Islamic State group.
On Sunday, the U.S. military reported that it had captured five men who attempted to hijack an Israeli-linked tanker off the coast of Yemen. The pirates tried to escape using speedboats壯陽藥 but surrendered after being pursued by the American destroyer the USS Mason. Yemeni Houthi rebels have also conducted recent attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden, which is seen as part of a rise in violence in the region due to the Israel-Hamas war. However, the Pentagon stated that this latest attempt was carried out by Somali nationals.
This marks the first time in years that piracy has resurged in the Horn of Africa, leading the Somali government to appeal for international support to deter a resurgence of piracy in the region. The Somali maritime police force has been intensifying patrols to counter this threat.
In the past, Somalia has faced significant issues with piracy, with the peak occurring in 2011, when the UN reported more than 160 attacks off the Somali coast[3]. However, incidents have declined drastically since then, largely due to the presence of American and allied navies in international waters.