ABU DHABI – United Arab Emirates’ special forces on Saturday freed an Abu Dhabi-owned ship seized by pirates east of Oman in the Arabian Sea, a military official told state news agency WAM. “A special counter-terrorism unit, backed by air force units and in coordination with the (Bahrain-based) US Fifth Fleet, stormed the ship. The hijackers subsequently surrendered,” the official said. The UAE had said earlier that the special forces had moved to free the MV Arrilah-I which was hijacked by pirates early on Friday while en route from Australia to Dubai.
Somali pirates have infested the waters of the Gulf of Aden, southwest of the Arabian Sea, making it one of the world’s most dangerous waterways in terms of piracy. They have also extended their attacks farther out in the Indian Ocean. They now hold at least 31 vessels and 694 hostages who were captured off the coast of Somalia, a war-torn country that sits alongside one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
