Posted on 04/24/2009 5:33:02 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The newly elected leader of Somalia's self-governing Puntland regional authority has declared a new campaign to fight piracy in the region, using public support and government institutions, Radio Garowe reports.
Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed "Farole," the president of Puntland State, spoke after Friday prayers at Sahaba Mosque in Garowe, the region's administrative capital.
"We [government] wish to inform the public that we have began a direct campaign against pirate gangs and we urge everyone not to defend them [pirates]," President Farole said.
Four suspects He explained the Somali culture of "defending criminals for clan reasons" but warned strongly against such practice, saying that the pirates are "corrupting the culture" and pose a security threat to Puntland.
"We learned on our trip to Nairobi [Kenya] that the international community is planning attacks on land and this is a big problem for Puntland," the President noted.
President Farole stated that the government has begun an active campaign against the pirates starting today. He commented that the Puntland administration met with members of the local religious community and gained support for the government's two-tier action plan to raid pirates on land and to warn the public through radio and mosque messages.
Mosque campaign
Alcohol bottles, weapons All mosques in Garowe focused Friday's weekly sermon on the negative impact of piracy on the local community.
The preacher at Garowe's Sahaba Mosque spoke both in Somali and Arabic languages, citing Islamic sources that explicitly prohibit "criminal acts like piracy."
"All forms of roadblocks are haram [prohibited] in Islam. Our religion instructs us to give safe passage to all travelers, by sea or by land," the preacher told hundreds of congregants.
He spoke in detail about the many social problems pirates have brought to Puntland, namely increase in the sale and consumption of alcohol, the use of the narcotic drug khat and other un-Islamic acts such as adultery and fornication.
The preacher offered three stories as typical examples of pirates' negative social impact on local communities. In one example, he strongly warned against the spread of HIV/AIDS in the community as "prostitutes from everywhere" have been drawn to Puntland by the pirates' ransom money.
Raids
On Friday, Puntland security forces raided two houses in Garowe and confiscated illegal products including weapons and hundreds of alcoholic beverages.
Mr. Abdi Hersi "Qarjab," the governor of Nugal region where Garowe is located, addressed reporters at the Garowe central police station where the confiscated items were presented to reporters.
He described the items as: four AK-47 assault rifles, 327 alcohol bottles, five mobile phones and a box of money, including 15million Somali Shillings and$475 U.S. dollars.
Four suspects were detained during the police campaign, which security officials described as part of a comprehensive anti-piracy effort with different phases.
The security campaign was widely welcomed by local residents, some of whom were seen cheering the police officers as they dragged away suspects and shut down bases where pirates often bought alcohol and other illegal products.
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