Ahmed Abdi Godane - undated photo The US Rewards for Justice programme issued this photograph of Godane in 2012

5 September 2014 BBC Africa

The leader of the Somali Islamist group al-Shabab, Ahmed Abdi Godane, was killed following a US attack earlier this week, the Pentagon has said.

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02 September 2014 defenceWeb (Reuters)

U.S. military forces carried out an operation on Monday against al Shabaab militants in Somalia, a U.S. Department of Defense spokesman said.

"We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information as and when appropriate," Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement.

No further details about the operation in the African country were immediately available.

Al Shabaab is an Islamist group affiliated with al Qaeda that wants to impose its own strict version of Islam in Somalia. It ruled most of the southern region of Somalia from 2006 until 2011, when African peacekeeping troops marched into the capital, Mogadishu.

African and Somali forces have regained several towns this year, but rebels still hold other centers and tracts of countryside.

Somali troops

08 August 2014 by Oscar Nkala - defenceWeb

At least 250 soldiers of the Somali National Army (SNA) have graduated from a two-week long European Union-sponsored military training course focused on urban warfare and human rights.

Media reports from Mogadishu quoted SNA spokesman General Abdulkader Nur saying the training, which is provided by the European Union Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM), is part of the rebuilding of the national army so that it can defeat the Islamist Al Shabaab and other militias operating across the country.

Nur said the new graduates will soon be deployed on special military assignments and intelligence gathering operations against Al Shabaab in urban centres across the Horn of Africa country.

EUTM Somalia head Brigadier General Massimo Mingiardi said the training was intended to build the operational capabilities of the army so that it can defeat terrorist groups and guarantee national security.

The graduation of the EUTM recruits coincided with the US confirming that it has trained two SNA commando units of 270 special forces in counter-insurgency, counter-terror operations, executive protection and rapid reaction.

According to US officials, more than 450 SNA troops will be trained into the three units of the Gaashan special forces by the end of this year.

SNA commander General Dahir Aden Elmi said the first unit of 150 special forces started training in October 2013, adding that training for the second unit is already under way. “They are receiving special training for fighting in the jungle and in the city. They can conduct any kind of operations in modern warfare, [including] guerrilla type," Elmi said.

Last month, the SNA welcomed back 110 soldiers who returned from a 10-month long special forces training programme in Turkey. The soldiers were trained at a military academy in Istanbul in terms of a 2010 bilateral defence co-operation agreement in which Ankara agreed to provide training for the new Somali army.

Last month, France and the US agreed to train more SNA soldiers as the international capacity building programme for Somali defence and security forces gathers momentum.

“We want to help all African Nations especially Somalia where there are terrorist groups who are threat to the national security of the country,” US President Barrack Obama said after discussing ways of stemming the spread of terrorism in East Africa with French President Francois Hollande.

The EU training mission for Somalia shifted base to Mogadishu from Uganda at the end of 2013 after concluding the combat and intelligence training of 3 600 Somali troops who have since been deployed to various units fighting the Al Shebbab insurgency.

Meanwhile, 86 members of the European Union Training Mission Somalia (EUTM Somalia) were last week awarded with the Common Security and Defence Policy Service Medal for Somalia during a ceremony at the International Campus within the Mogadishu International Airport.

EUTM Somalia Mission Commander Brigadier General Massimo Mingiardi awarded the medal to members from Italy, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Hungary, Spain, Serbia, Belgium, Finland, and Portugal.

He said the medal is a sign of honour for 'their efforts and their dedication' to the EU's mission of building a professional and accountable security and defence apparatus in Somalia.

MOSCOU, 3 juillet - RIA Novosti

Des conseillers militaires américains opèrent en secret en Somalie depuis 2007, rapportent jeudi les agences occidentales citant des sources au sein de la Maison Blanche.

Selon les médias, à l'heure actuelle, environ 120 militaires américains se trouvent en Somalie sans prendre part aux combats. C'est la première fois que des responsables US reconnaissent une présence militaire américaine aussi importante en Somalie depuis la présidence de George W. Bush.

Les Etats-Unis ont l'intention d'accroître leur aide militaire à la Somalie pour aider ce pays à combattre l'insurrection islamiste d'Al Chabaab associée à la nébuleuse terroriste internationale Al-Qaïda.

Washington envisage également d'accorder plus de fonds à l'Armée nationale somalienne, après avoir coopéré pendant plusieurs années avec la Mission de l'Union africaine en Somalie (AMISOM). Il convient de rappeler que depuis 2007, les Etats-Unis ont débloqué 512 millions de dollars en faveur de l'AMISOM et 171 M USD pour la mise en place d'une armée professionnelle en Somalie.

La Somalie est plongée dans le chaos et la guerre civile depuis la chute du président Siad Barre en 1991 et la dislocation du pays qui a suivi. De nos jours, la Somalie n'existe pratiquement plus en tant qu'Etat uni. Le pays est partagé entre différentes factions hostiles, dont le mouvement radical al-Chabaab.

Reconnu par la communauté internationale comme l'unique organe de pouvoir légal, le Gouvernement fédéral de transition (GFT) ne contrôle que Mogadiscio et certaines régions environnantes, le reste du pays étant administré par des entités autonomes refusant de se soumettre aux autorités centrales.

09 June 2014 by Oscar Nkala - defenceWeb

The Kenyan government has unveiled plans to spend US$1 billion acquiring 10 new military helicopters, the refurbishment of three grounded Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters and the installation of closed circuit (CCTV) surveillance cameras in 10 cities in terms of a strategic five-year national security plan to secure the country against a series of terrorist attacks blamed on Somali Islamist militant group Al Shabaab.

The Standard reports the budget, released to the heads of national security agencies which include the army, intelligence, prisons and police services by cabinet secretary for the Interior Ministry Joseph Lenku in Nairobi last week, also includes the leasing of at least five helicopters to improve the operations the police force aerial wing.

The 2014/2015 budget will also cover the hiring of undisclosed number of motor vehicles and the acquisition of new motorcycles for the police services in addition to the 1 200 vehicles leased for the force last year. The budget will also cover additional vehicles for high-ranking police officers including regional superintendents and assistant commissioners.

According to the budget breakdown, the government will spend $205.6 million on the acquisition of 10 new military helicopters, $12.6 million on the renovation of three grounded Mi-17 helicopters, $11.4m on leasing helicopters to enhance aerial police patrols and a further $171.3 million on the metropolitan CCTV surveillance system.

The Integrated Public Safety Communication and Surveillance System will cover the municipalities of Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, Garissa, Eldoret, Thika, Kisii, Nyeri and Kakamega. The controversy-shrouded tender for its implementation was recently won by local company Safari.com.

"This is part of the modernisation of our security systems in that we are able to use technology to respond to emerging crime trends. Criminals are becoming more sophisticated and we think this is the solution to tame them," Lenku said.

The first phase of the project involves mapping of the Mombasa and Nairobi line which will then be fitted with 1 800 communication and surveillance cameras monitored from a command and control centre in Nairobi.

The system will use infrared cameras capable of capturing images in dim light, Box cameras and Dome cameras capable of covering a 360 degree observation angle. The CCTV system is also capable of identifying and cross-checking faces against local police and Interpol databases of known criminals and terrorists.

The command and control centre will initially be connected to 195 police stations in the Nairobi and Mombasa municipalities while 7 600 officers will have walkie-talkies connected to the system.

The connection will enable officers to use a distress button fitted to the walkie-talkie to send video imagery of the situation around them via high speed internet link. Addressing the nation during the independence celebrations on Sunday, President Uhuru Kenyatta said the country has to spend more to achieve national security.

"Terrorists, thieves and poachers threaten our lives, our property and our national heritage. Our first line of defence is our men and women in the disciplined services and my government will stand with them. We have introduced CCTV cameras in major cities and towns, as well as broadband connectivity at border points.

"We have already provided at least 1 200 vehicles for the police, which will soon be equipped with CCTV cameras. Nearly 8 000 men and women have already joined our armed services to strengthen them for the challenges to come. This year, we have set aside Sh2.9 billion for the recruitment of 10 000 more police officers," Kenyatta said.

April 4, 2014: Strategy Page

For over a month soldiers and peacekeepers have been advancing south and driving al Shabaab men out of over a dozen towns containing more than 100,000 people. Counting those living in nearby villages and small settlements that comes to nearly a quarter million people liberated. The Islamic terrorists admit they have ordered their men to not stand and fight but to withdraw and organize terror attacks on security forces and pro-government locals. There are still several dozen towns and villages with Islamic terrorists still in them and basically living off (and terrorizing) the locals. This includes a 200 kilometer stretch of the southern coast, including the port town of Barawe. Chasing the Islamic terrorists out of these towns is the easy part, what is difficult is setting up security in “liberated” areas. Al Shabaab has made public its plans to attack these new policing forces and regain control. In some cases the departing Islamic terrorists ordered residents to flee with them. Or, as the terrorists sometime put it, “with us or die.” There were no massacres against those who did not flee and few civilians left as the peacekeepers arrived. Al Shabaab leaders have been urging their men to develop better relations with civilians, in line with current al Qaeda doctrine. Most al Shabaab men have taken these instructions to heart and there have been no mass killings of civilians recently. But the people in the former al Shabaab controlled areas are terrified that al Shabaab will do what they said they would and return. There is going to be a lot more fighting in the south, most of it terror attacks and small battles with groups of al Shabaab who get cornered and fight to the death (as many are wont to do.) Somalis are also angry with how the Islamic terrorists take what they want (as “taxes”) and are now confiscating any telephones they find that have cameras. Somalis report that the Islamic terrorists are very frightened of the approaching peacekeepers and desperate to keep the local Somalis so terrified that no one will cooperate with the peacekeepers to find where the al Shabaab men are hiding. 

April 1, 2014:  In Kenya (Mombasa) a radical Islamic cleric was shot dead in a drive-by shooting. He is the third Kenyan Islamic radical cleric to die like this in the past two years. This has led to unrest among Kenyan Moslems who accuse the government of assassinating Islamic radical clerics and persecuting Moslems in general. Many Moslems have a sense of entitlement and believe that the non-Moslem world is at war with them. These attitudes are a primary cause of Islamic terrorism and are difficult to deal with. The dead cleric has long been accused to preaching in support of Islamic terrorism and recruiting for al Shabaab.

March 31, 2014: In Kenya (Nairobi) three bombs went off in a market in a neighborhood full of Somalis. There were six dead and twenty wounded. Police immediately began searching buildings in the area and seeking al Shabaab sympathizers. By the next day police had arrested over 650 local Somalis for questioning. 

March 28, 2014:  In the southern port town of Barawe al Shabaab accused three local men of spying for the government and then killed them. The men may indeed have been government informants but the Islamic terrorists will often accuse anyone in the least degree suspicious and kill them just to frighten others away from becoming informants. 

March 25, 2014: Kenya ordered all Somali refugees living outside refugee camps to move to a refugee camp. The UN promptly criticized this measure but the government is under tremendous public pressure to reduce the Somali terrorist threat. Since many Somali refugees have been caught supporting or carrying out terrorist activities the UN protests are not popular at all in Kenya and the refugees will be pressured to go to the camps. There are about 525,000 Somali refugees in two Kenyan camps. The UN runs the camps but has no control over some 50,000 Somali refugees living mostly in the Somali neighborhoods of Nairobi and Mombasa. About 76 percent of the Moslems (four million people) in Kenya are ethnic Somalis who are citizens. Kenya is largely Christian with a Moslem minority (12 percent of the population) that has been harboring Islamic terrorists. Kenya also hosts nearly 300,000 other refugees from Ethiopia, Sudan, Burundi and Congo. Many Kenyans feel that the rest of the world does not appreciate what a heavy burden this places on Kenya.

March 23, 2014: South of the central Somalia town of Baidoa al Shabaab gunmen stopped a vehicle carrying eight clan elders from a government conference. When the Islamic terrorists discovered the loyalties of the elders they killed them.

In Kenya (outside Mombasa) masked gunmen charged into a church and opened fire on the worshippers, leaving six dead and many wounded. This gunmen then left and moved wards another church nearby but before they could get into that church police showed up and the gunmen fled. The attackers were believed to be Islamic terrorists, most likely Somalis because they were yelling in a language the victims could not understand.

March 18, 2014: In the north (Buloburde) al Shabaab used a roadside bomb against soldiers and peacekeepers and killed eleven of them. In the south a suicide car bomber and some Islamic terrorist gunmen attacked a hotel housing peacekeepers and killed eight people. Four of the attackers were also killed. Both these attacks followed similar violence a few days earlier.

March 17, 2014: Outside of Mogadishu Islamic terrorists attacked peacekeepers with a suicide car bomb, killing four people.

March 15, 2014: In Mogadishu a suicide car bomber set off his explosives prematurely killing only himself.

March 14, 2014: Kenya deported three foreigners (from Belgium, France and Algeria) who had been arrested in 2013 as they attempted to get to Somalia to join al Shabaab.  The U.S. announced rewards of up to $3 million each for information on three al Shabaab leaders.

24 March 2014 defenceWeb

In an early morning operation at the weekend the Somali National Army (SNA) backed by African Union forces overran Al Shabaab outposts to capture the key town of Qoryooley in Lower Shabelle.

Located 120 km south-west of Mogadishu, Qoryooley has been under terrorist rule for five years. In the last month, many al Shabaab commanders have fled to the town following a string of defeats by the SNA and AMISOM forces said spokesman Colonel Ali Eden Houmed.

The capture of Qoryooley is seen as critical for AMISOM future operations to liberate the port city of Baraawe, one of the remaining sources of illicit revenue for extremist group.

The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia, Ambassador Mahamat Saleh Annadif congratulated SNA and AMISOM troops on the achievement. He said the operation again demonstrated AMISOM’s continuing determination to support the people of Somalia as they embark on a new path of renewal and reconstruction.

“AMISOM will continue to bring security to more areas of Somalia so local people can live their lives and pursue their livelihoods in freedom.”

Joint operations between the SNA and AMISOM which began this month have to date liberated eight towns in the various regions around the country, the most recent being Qurunlow town in Middle Shabelle.

Since the UN Security Council boosted AMISOM troop numbers to over 22 000, the forces working closely with SNA have moved to new areas and helped the Somali government by providing a secure environment and recovering more territory, as well as ensuring law, order and justice he said.

17 mars 2014 Romandie.com (AFP)

MOGADISCIO - Un convoi de la force de l'Union africaine en Somalie (Amisom) a été la cible lundi d'un attentat à la voiture piégée revendiqué par les islamistes shebab près de la capitale Mogadiscio mais dont le bilan restait incertain.

Joint par l'AFP, un porte-parole des shebab, Abdiaziz Abu Musab, a affirmé que sept personnes, dont des étrangers, étaient mortes dans l'attaque, une information pour l'instant impossible à recouper.

L'attaque s'est produite près d'un barrage routier dans le couloir d'Afgoye, qui relie Mogadiscio à la localité d'Afgoye, à un trentaine de km plus au nord-ouest, quand un kamikaze a lancé sa voiture contre un convoi de l'Amisom, a expliqué Abdulahi Mohamed, un témoin.

Nous n'avons pas d'information sur les victimes, mais j'ai vu des ambulances militaires se précipiter sur les lieux, a-t-il ajouté.

Omar Adan, un responsable militaire somalien, a confirmé l'attaque, sans lui non plus pouvoir en préciser le bilan. Il l'a cependant immédiatement imputée aux insurgés islamistes shebab, qui ont juré la perte des fragiles autorités somaliennes et ont multiplié les attentats à Mogadiscio depuis le début de l'année.

Les militants liés à Al-Qaïda, qui ont perdu du terrain, tentent des attaques désespérées, a-t-il dit. Il y a eu un attentat-suicide cet après-midi mais nous n'en avons pas encore les détails.

Axe routier stratégique, le couloir d'Afgoye abritait jusqu'en 2012, avant que les shebab ne soient peu à peu chassés de leurs bastions des centre et sud somaliens, des centaines de milliers de réfugiés. La ville d'Afgoye avait elle-même été reprise aux islamistes par les forces pro-gouvernementales somaliennes en mai 2012.

Mais privés de leurs principales bases urbaines, les insurgés somaliens n'en continuent pas moins depuis de constituer une importante menace au rétablissement de la paix en Somalie, pays privé de réelle autorité centrale, en situation de guerre civile depuis la chute du président Siad Barre en 1991.

Ils contrôlent encore de vastes zones rurales et lancent de fréquentes attaques de type guérilla, en particulier à Mogadiscio.

Samedi encore, un attentat à la voiture piégée à été perpétré dans le centre de Mogadiscio, contre un hôtel fréquenté par des responsables gouvernementaux et des hommes d'affaires de retour au pays.

En février, des attaques d'envergure à la voiture piégée et par attentat-suicide avaient aussi eu lieu à Mogadiscio contre les entrées de l'aéroport, le palais présidentiel et un bar proche des bâtiments des services de renseignement. Elles avaient aussi été revendiquées par les shebab.

Depuis 2012, l'Amisom, limitée en troupes, avait elle-même mis en veille ses offensives contre les shebab.

Jusqu'à début mars cette année, quand, forte de l'intégration de troupes éthiopiennes déployées dans le pays, elle a lancé une nouvelle opération contre les shebab et affirme leur avoir depuis repris six positions. L'Amisom compte aujourd'hui quelque 22.000 hommes.

13 March 2014 defenceWeb (Reuters)

African Union peacekeepers and the Somali army have begun a major offensive against al Shabaab militants, the U.N.'s Special Representative to Somalia said on Wednesday, urging donors to fund logistical support.

U.N.-backed peacekeepers pushed the Islamist fighters out of Mogadishu in 2011, but the al Qaeda-linked group has continued to launch guerrilla-style attacks there and kept control of several towns and many rural areas.

A new offensive to capture the remaining territory had been expected ever since the U.N. Security Council in November authorized an increase of more than 4,000 peacekeepers for the African peacekeeping force known as AMISOM, from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Sierra Leone.

Special Representative Nick Kay said the push started this month when Ethiopian troops took control of towns in southern Somalia, including Bakool regional capital Hudur.

"(The offensive) is progressing quite well," Kay told Reuters via telephone from Mogadishu.

"The Ethiopians clearly have been doing well, recaptured several important towns in Bakool and in Gedo (region)."

Kay said al Shabaab had to be pushed out of territory where it was training more insurgents, taxing businesses and importing arms through ports.

"That's why this AMISOM and Somali National Army (SNA) offensive is really important to deprive them of those bases," Kay said.

In a rare move, the U.N. has passed a resolution to provide logistical support to the SNA troops fighting alongside the 22,000-strong AMISOM force, which has been in Somalia since 2007.

Kay said this support will see one U.N. agency carry out medical evacuations and provide rations, transport and tents for the Somali army, which analysts say is badly trained, poorly equipped and lacks discipline.

The U.N. Support Office for AMISOM (UNSOA) needed more funding to do its job and so far only Britain and United States have pledged a total of about $6.5 million, Kay said.

"The rule of thumb was that, to begin with at least, $20 million would be a good amount to keep going," he added.

Al Shabaab has carried out several bombings in Mogadishu in recent months, including a large-scale raid on the Somali presidential palace and an attack on a U.N. convoy.

Kay warned conditions were likely to remain volatile in the capital and al Shabaab might intensify its bombing campaign as it came under pressure in the countryside.

"I think that's something AMISOM, the government and ourselves are prepared for," he said. "Things may get tougher in the short term but we have to be ready for that."

28/02/2014 Sources : EMA

Le 19 février 2014, dans le cadre de la coopération militaire bilatérale avec la république de Djibouti, les forces françaises stationnées à Djibouti (FFDj) ont cédé du matériel et des équipements aux forces armées djiboutiennes (FAD).

Cette cession, comme les formations régulièrement organisées par les FFDj au profit des FAD, a été réalisée dans le cadre du soutien apporté à la république de Djibouti pour renforcer sa capacité à participer à des opérations de maintien de la paix. A ce titre, les FFDj ont notamment contribué à la préparation des bataillons Hill 1 et 2 qui sont engagés dans le cadre de l’African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) en Somalie. D’autre part, à la demande des autorités djiboutiennes, les FFDj ont formé 650 militaires et réalisé 12 détachements d’instruction opérationnelle au profit des FAD en 2013.

Les forces françaises stationnées à Djibouti (FFD,) constituent depuis 2011 la base opérationnelle avancée française sur la côte Est de l’Afrique. Les FFDj participent au dispositif militaire français pré positionné permettant de disposer d’un réservoir de forces pouvant être projetées rapidement en cas de crise. Dans le cadre des accords de partenariat de défense entre la République de Djibouti et la France, les FFDj constituent l’un des cinq pôles de coopération en Afrique. A ce titre, elles assurent des missions de coopération militaire avec les forces armées djiboutiennes, mais aussi avec les instances de la force africaine en attente en Afrique de l’Est. Parmi leurs missions, les FFDj apportent également un soutien logistique et opérationnel aux moyens aériens et navals français et étrangers engagés dans le cadre de la force européenne de lutte contre la piraterie.

The Joint Communication on the EU’s ‘comprehensive approach’ to external conflict and crises issued on 11 December 2013 argues that this approach ‘has already been successfully applied as the organising principle for EU action in many cases in recent years, for example, in the Horn of Africa […]’. In Africa the European Union has notably been heavily involved in Somalia, in particular in supporting the country’s security and stability. Media attention has primarily focused on the success of the EU’s first naval CSDP operation Atalanta in combating piracy off the coast of Somalia, complemented in July 2012 by a regional EU maritime capacity-building mission, EUCAP Nestor. Furthermore, this year the EU takes over the chairmanship of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

These efforts have been conducted in parallel with the EU’s continued engagement in support of Somali security on land through its financing (since 2007) of the salaries of the AU Mission (AMISOM) troops fighting Al-Shabaab (AS) and through its training (since 2010) of one third of the Somali National Army (SNA) with the Training Mission in Somalia (EUTM Somalia) – not to mention the Instrument for Stability (IfS) and other development-related programmes.

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December 18, 2013 By: John Ingham - express.co.uk

The Royal Navy [Dec. 17, 2013] launched its first drone in an operational theatre as it stepped up its campaign against Somali pirates.

02.12.2013 EUNAVFOR
 

Hollywood Movie Captain Phillips Premieres On Board EU Naval Force Flagship HNLMS Johan de Witt The recently released Hollywood movie, Captain Phillips, held its Dutch premiere in a very special way. At the same time as the film was being shown in the Tuschinski theatre in Amsterdam, the movie was also being screened on the flight deck of the EU Naval Force flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt during their during logistics visit to Muscat, Oman.

EU Naval Force Warship ESPS Meteoro Hosts Seychelles Coast Guard During Port Visit During their recent logistical visit to the Seychelles, Spanish Ocean Patrol Vessel (OPV), ESPS Meteoro, held a number of very productive meetings with the Seychelles Coast Guard. On the 25th of October, ESPS Meteoro was visited by 18 members of the Seychelles Coast Guard, in conduct Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB). After a tour on the ship and several briefings about the characteristics and capabilities of the Spanish patrol vessel, the crews exchanged experiences and talked about capacity building in the Seychelles.

EU Naval Force Ship RFA Lyme Bay Conducts Friendly Approach With Local Seafarers RFA Lyme Bay has carried out the first of six friendly approaches in the Gulf of Aden. It was the first friendly approach carried out by a UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary Bay Class ship, as part of European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta. The ship’s boat team interacted with the local seafarers to gather information on fishing activities and the ‘pattern of life’ to sea.

EU Naval Force Officer Joins Flying Mission With NATO’s Counter Piracy Patrol Aircraft On 13th of October the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta Liaison Officer (LNO) for Seychelles and Mauritius, Lieutenant Commander Billy Adams Royal Navy, boarded NATO’s Danish counter piracy maritime patrol aircraft for a reconnaissance mission off the coast of Somalia.

EU NAVFOR Force Commander Visits ITS Libeccio At Sea On Sunday, 3 November, EUNAVFOR Force Commander, Commodore Peter Lenselink and members of his staff, visited the Italian warship, ITS Libeccio.

EU Naval Force: Piracy Continues – EU Warship Prevents Suspect Pirates Going To Sea And A Merchant Ship is Attacked by Pirates In The Indian Ocean Just a few weeks after the Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant, issued another warning about the on-going piracy threat, there have been two more piracy related incidents off the Somali coast. The first incident happened on Tuesday 5 November, when EU Naval Force German frigate, FGS Niedersachsen prevented 10 suspect pirates from getting far out to sea. The second incident happened yesterday, Wednesday 6 November, at sea 460 miles south east of Mogadishu, when a merchant ship had to repel an attack from 5 armed suspect pirates.

Lithuanian Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment Remain At The Top Of Their Game The Lithuanian Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD), deployed with the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta since August 2013, is tasked with the protection of the World Food Programme (WFP) ship MV Caroline Scan.

RFA Lyme Bay Maintaining Operational Capability By Training On Board Onboard RFA Lyme Bay, which is part of European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, the Boarding teams from the Fleet Contingency Troop and K Company 43 Commando Royal Marines have taken advantage of the Lynx MK 8 that embarked from RFA Fort Austin to practice fast roping techniques.

EU Naval Force Flagship Hosts Contact Group On Piracy Off The Coast Of Somalia On Monday, 11 November 2013, the EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta Flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, has hosted the Contact Group of Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) during the Counter Piracy Week in the port of Djibouti. Government representatives from all over the world took the opportunity to see how the EU Naval Force and other counter piracy forces are contributing to the fight against piracy.

Marines Of HNLMS Johan De Witt Execute Para Jump On Water Exercise On Tuesday November 12, marines of the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, embarked on the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atlanta flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, have executed a parachute jump exercise in the Gulf of Aden. The marines are part of the Enhanced Boarding Element of HNLMS Johan de Witt and are able to carry out boarding operations in case of a counter piracy operation.

ITS Libeccio Provides Medical Assistance At Sea The Italian Frigate ITS Libeccio, which is currently deployed with the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, has provided medical assistance to a dhow in need of help near the Horn of Africa.

European Union Delivers Vehicles And Training For Somaliland Coast Guard During the past week, two European Union missions, EUCAP Nestor and EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, have worked together on two operations for the benefit of the Somaliland Coast Guard.

EU Naval Force Ships HNLMS Johan De Witt And RFA Lyme Bay Participate In Cutlass Express Maritime Exercise Off Djibouti HNLMS Johan de Witt and RFA Lyme Bay have participated in the US led international exercise ‘Cutlass Express’. The exercise, which was held in several operational areas in the waters off East Africa, is a maritime exercise, designed to improve cooperation, tactical expertise and information sharing practices among participating nations in order to increase maritime safety and security in the region.

UK Ship RFA Lyme Bay Heads For Home Having Completed Counter Piracy Operations With EU Naval Force Somalia UK Royal Fleet Auxiliary, RFA Lyme Bay is heading for home having completed a 32 day tour of duty with Operation Atalanta – the European Union’s counter piracy operation off the coast of Somalia.

EU Naval Force Italian Ship ITS Libeccio Refuelled At Sea By US Auxiliary Ship USNS Arctic In the early morning of Tuesday 19 November, EU Naval Force warship ITS Libeccio carried out a replenishment at sea (RAS) with the American auxiliary ship, USNS Arctic.

EU Naval Force Strengthens EU – Chinese Counter Piracy Relations On board Chinese Navy Flagship In Gulf Of Aden On Friday 22 November 2013 a delegation from EU Naval Force’s flagship HNLMS Johan de Witt visited the Chinese Force Commander and his staff on board the Chinese flagship CNS Jing Gang Shan in the Gulf of Aden. The visit was an opportunity to discuss counter piracy operations.

EU Naval Force Warship ESPS Meteoro Conducts Search And Rescue Exercise At Sea During the evening of November 22, a search and rescue exercise was conducted by ESPS Meteoro and her embarked helicopter. The exercise was part of an intensive air-sea training programme. During the exercise, two qualified rescue divers from the embarked air wing simulated two men who had been washed overboard. The Spanish warship’s SH-60B helicopter was quickly launched and ‘rescued’ them from the sea using a rescue hook.

Last Replenishment At Sea In Atalanta Operation For ESPS Meteoro On Thursday 28 November EU Naval Force warship, ESPS Meteoro made its ninth and last replenishment at sea (RAS) with the logistic American ship USNS Joshua Humphries.