Posted by Medeshi
Spain military plane leaves for Somalia
Sat 20 Sep 2008
Sat 20 Sep 2008
MADRID, Sept 20 (Reuters) - The Spanish military aircraft which will patrol the waters off the coast of Somalia to protect ships from pirates left on Saturday from the Moron air base in Seville, the Ministry of Defence said on Saturday.
The P-3 orion plane was accompanied by a Boeing 727 and a Hercules helicopter, which carried 90 personnel, including crew, the ministry said in a news release.
The patrol operation will be for an initial three months, which could be extended depending on the decisions taken on the international stage.
The move comes after French commandos on Tuesday freed two French tourists held for ransom on their yacht off the African country's coast. In April, crew members of a Spanish fishing boat were freed by pirates in the area after payment of a $1.2 million ransom, according to a Somali official.
The P-3 Orion will collect information on the movements of pirates to relay to a European Union task force formed on Monday to work against piracy off the Horn of Africa.
(Reporting by Judy MacInnes; editing by xxx)
The P-3 orion plane was accompanied by a Boeing 727 and a Hercules helicopter, which carried 90 personnel, including crew, the ministry said in a news release.
The patrol operation will be for an initial three months, which could be extended depending on the decisions taken on the international stage.
The move comes after French commandos on Tuesday freed two French tourists held for ransom on their yacht off the African country's coast. In April, crew members of a Spanish fishing boat were freed by pirates in the area after payment of a $1.2 million ransom, according to a Somali official.
The P-3 Orion will collect information on the movements of pirates to relay to a European Union task force formed on Monday to work against piracy off the Horn of Africa.
(Reporting by Judy MacInnes; editing by xxx)
