Somali Pirates Strike Again

After being silent for the last couple of years, the Somali pirates have struck once again.

On April 1, they captured a dhow and its 11 Indian crew members off the coast of Somalia. It is the second such incident within two weeks in the area after a lull of nearly five years when piracy on the high seas was on the ebb.

The attack on the dhow took place on Saturday in the narrow channel between Yemen's Socotra Island and the Somali coast. The Indian government confirmed on April 3 that pirates were taking the vessel, with 11 sailors onboard, to the Eyl area on northern Somalia. The dhow, a traditional wooden ship, was on its way from Dubai to Bosaso in Somalia. While the EU naval forces said that it was an Indian vessel, the US Navy's 5th Fleet (one of several countries patrolling the area) claimed that they were "aware of the reports and are monitoring the situation".<...