Somali government welcomes Puntland’s anti-piracy initiative

[Coeus]

The transitional federal government of Somalia has, for the first time; spoken about the training of thousands of naval forces by Puntland officials to redouble the semi-autonomous region's efforts against Somali pirates.

Admiral Farah Ahmed Omar, Somalia’s naval commander, said the Somalia government is cordially welcoming Puntland's step forward to train its maritime forces.

Omar said Somali pirates created extraordinary problems off Somalia’s coasts, charging that the repeated national and international problems off Somali coasts needed to be brought an end.

“Firstly, we [are] very glad [of] the remarkable step taken by Puntland authorities, as we are congratulating them. We hope they will cope with current maritime problems existing off Somalia coasts,” the commander said.

His comments come after Puntland signed a contract with Saracen International, a British-based security company.

Supported by Saracen, Puntland has begun training thousands of its naval forces to uproot pirates. However, the United States and the neighboring break-away republic of Somaliland have expressed deep concerns about the action.


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[garoweboy]