Friday, 11 March 2011 07:00 DV News
A violent clash between military forces in the breakaway Somali republic of Puntland and pirates yesterday left at least ten people dead in a failed mission to rescue seven Danish pirate hostages.
All seven hostages are unhurt as they were immediately removed from their hideout back to their yacht, where, according to Ekstra Bladet newspaper's local sources, they are being guarded by 15 armed pirates.
The sources said the encounter came as the military forces were closing in on the Hul-anod area, where the Danes are being held.
On Wednesday night, some 200 additional armed Somalis came to the area to strengthen the pirates' hold on the area.
These extra forces disarmed the government soldiers, who were located some ten kilometres outside of Hul-anod. When the authorities heard of the strengthened pirate army, they sent ten vehicles filled with soldiers off in a circle towards Hul-anod via the provincial capital of Qardho, some 250 km away.
Meanwhile, informers in Qardho managed to notify the pirates of the soldiers' plans to attack, enabling them to ambush the soldiers when they approached Hul-anod.
According to one source, at least nine soldiers and three pirates were killed, and a local herdsman died in the crossfire. Another source said that ten soldiers died and that the pirates managed to seize four of the soldier vehicles.
The soldiers have now retaliated to the town of Humbeys, some 110 km away from Hul-anod.
The Foreign Ministry said it had not been informed of the attack ahead of time and declined to comment on the situation out of concern for the relatives of the hostages.
See related stories:
Armed guards fight off pirate attack
Pirates: attack and we will kills hostages
Danish ship rejoins anti-pirate operation
Addressing the roots of the pirate problem
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