GAROWE, (insidesomalia.org) - A Cabinet minister in Somalia's Puntland State government has called on the United States government to withdraw its naval forces from Somali shores or help in the campaign against local pirates.

Said Ahmed O'Nur, Puntland's Fisheries and Ports Minister, told Voice of America’s Somali-language program that U.S. Navy warships have been watching a hijacked ship for nearly two months without taking any military action against the pirates on board.

He indicated that there is "no communication" between the U.S. Navy and the government of Puntland.

According to the minister, the U.S. naval warships "allow" the pirates to go to and from the ship – Russian-registered Svitzer Korsakov, which pirates hijacked on Feb. 5.

"Local fishermen are not allowed to take their boats to sea," Minister O'Nur said during the interview.

He stated that locals informed the Puntland government that U.S. sailors disembark from their warships and use small boats to fish, adding: "Who allowed them to fish along our [Somali] coast?"

The Fisheries and Ports Minister called on the U.S. Navy to withdraw its ships from the Puntland coast or "convince the [Puntland] government about what they are doing there."

He also indicated that there are "many rumors" about reports of nuclear waste being dumped along Somalia's shores, which the Puntland government is to investigate.

Minister O'Nur did not clearly answer a question regarding Puntland's ability to secure its coast when major crimes are taking place on land, including kidnappings and assassinations.

But he pointed the finger at the U.S. government and was openly critical of "ransom payments" received by pirates in the recent past, which only emboldened them to hijack more commercial ships, he added.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command told, the international naval operation along Somalia's dangerous coastline is targeted at stopping pirates from hijacking ships, including ships delivering humanitarian aid to the Somali people.

But the spokesperson declined to comment on the Russian-registered Svitzer Korsakov, which the latest reports said is still being held near Puntland's coastal village of Eyl.

Aid sources in Puntland and Mogadishu, the national capital, said U.S.-led naval operations off of Somalia's coast have helped reduce the number of pirate attacks

Source: Garowe Online

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