MANAMA - The United States Navy said on Tuesday it had bolstered its military presence in waters around the Horn of Africa as part of "on-going counter-terrorism operations" in the region. The Navy's Bahrain-based Maritime Liaison Office said it had increased coalition naval strength in the area to assist operations on land, sea and air. "Coalition forces are alert to potential air and maritime threats and are currently on patrol in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman and Arabian Gulf," it said in a statement to merchant shipping. "Anyone suspected of assisting or transporting terrorists should expect to be boarded, and will risk the sinking or seizure of (the) vessel, and will be detained and jailed," it said.
run and you'll be sunk
The Navy warned commercial shippers to be aware of the increased presence and to cooperate fully with queries from sea or air. The waters around the Horn of Africa are some of the most dangerous and pirate-infested in the world, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). The IMB has warned that any vessels straying too close to Somalia's coastline would almost certainly be attacked by armed militia.
IIRC the warning said to stay at least 100 miles (!) off the coast
So far, however, the IMB has not linked terror groups to increasing acts of maritime piracy and hijackings off the Gulf of Aden and Somalian waters.
Somalia? That garden of eden? |