Islamist fighters storm port seeking pirated ship
Spokesman for militias says they plan to free tanker; others say they hope for ransom share
Jonathan Manthorpe, Vancouver Sun
Published: Saturday, November 22, 2008
Hardline Islamist militia fighters stormed Friday into the port town of Haradhere, where Somali pirates are holding the Saudi Arabian-owned supertanker, the Sirius Star.
But it was unclear what the intention was of the Taliban-like militias, who briefly controlled Somalia in 2006 before being ousted by the army of neighbouring Ethiopia. They are making renewed efforts to again win control of the country, just as the world pays more attention to pirates who launch from part of the country not under control of the Islamists.
An Islamist spokesman said the fighters from the al Shebab Islamist militia group plan to liberate the Sirius Star, its cargo of $100 million in oil and its crew of 25 from the pirates who seized it on Tuesday. — More —
I am not surprised if the socalled Alshabab fighters try to rescue the Saudi arabia-owned hijacked supertanker as countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar are the likely supporters of Al-shabab organization in its struggle to ovedrthrow the Somali government and install a powerful extrimist islamic state in Somalia.