Six people killed in clashes between Islamic fighters and...

Six people killed in clashes between Islamic fighters and Somali pirates in port city

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=26086

MOGADISHU - At least six people have been killed in clashes between Islamic fighters and Somali pirates in a Somali port, local elders said Saturday.

The fighters, from the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), attacked the pirates in Hobyo, 450 kilometres (270 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu on Friday.

"Two Islamists and several pirates died in the fighting which lasted more than an hour," said Abdinasir Diriye, one of the elders.

An ICU leader said four pirates and two ICU fighters had been killed in the shoot-out, adding that they had also arrested several of the pirates.

The hijacked vessel, MV Victoria, which had been seized on May 17, was released Friday.

Local elders had said Islamic fighters had threatened to attack the pirates if they did not release the ship.

The ICU controlled a large swathe of Somalia for several months – granting the country relative prosperity and stability - before they were routed early in 2007 by Somali forces backed by Ethiopian troops.

Since then they have launched almost daily guerrilla attacks in Mogadishu and outside the capital.

The waters off Somalia, especially after the ousting of ICU from power, are considered among the most dangerous in the world for shipping.

More than 25 ships were seized off Somalia last year, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
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