'Happy to see pirates killed'
2008-04-07 21:10
Mogadishu - Somali officials on Monday urged tough action against pirates holding a French yacht after an elite French army unit was placed on standby to intervene if negotiations failed.
The local governor in Somalia's northern region of Puntland, Musa Ghelle Yusuf, said he would be "happy ... to see the pirates killed".
"The French and American ships must attack the pirates.
"They have our blessing," Ghelle told AFP by phone, adding that the hijackers had been encouraged by ransoms paid in previous ship seizures.
"These pirates are terrorists and there is no need to negotiate with them," Guelleh said.
"Attacking them will solve future piracy plans."
French send elite unit
In Paris, a defence source said troops from the French gendarmerie's elite counter-terrorism and hostage rescue unit had been sent to Djibouti where they would remain until further orders.
The hijacked yacht, with around 30 crew members, was captured on Friday.
Early on Monday, it lay anchored off Puntland, which was relatively peaceful and had proclaimed autonomy from the rest of the conflict-wracked country.
Crew safety top priority
French Defence Minister Herve Morin said there could be no military intervention unless the safety of the crew could be guaranteed.
A senior Puntland government official said residents had been urged to fend off attempts by the pirates to come ashore and that two civilians were killed Sunday in clashes with the hijackers as they attempted to dock.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) called on the international community to boost security on the northern Somali coast where a French luxury yacht was seized, saying it had become increasingly dangerous.