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Pirates from two small skiffs seized the crew of a Japanese vessel off anarchic Somalia's coast. American forces fired on the skiffs and destroyed them. Now the navies of the U.S. and 19 other countries are after bigger prey. The U.S.-led coalition working to secure sea lanes beset by pirates believe skiffs like the ones used in the attack on the Japanese ship must have come from elusive "mother ships." "The small boats which are used for piracy could not travel" from shore as far into the ocean as ships have been attacked, said Commodore Khan Hasham of Pakistan, one...

Doha: HNLMS De Zeven Provincien, a destroyer from the Netherlands and the command ship of Combined Task Force 150, came to the aid of a distressed vessel and rescued 27 people off the coast of Yemen earlier this week, while conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the area, a statement issued by the US Naval Forces Central Command, said here yesterday. "MSO set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment and complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. Coalition forces have a longstanding tradition of helping mariners in distress...

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- The Dutch-led coalition of maritime Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 is supporting the efforts of the government of Yemen to recapture suspected terrorists who escaped from a Yemeni prison Feb 5. Escapees include Jamal Ahmed Badawi, mastermind of the bomb attack on USS Cole (DDG 67) in 2000, and Fawaz Al-Rabeei, one of those responsible for attacking the French tanker Limburg in 2002. Ships from CTF 150 are monitoring international waters along the coast of Yemen in an attempt to either block possible maritime escape routes or capture the suspected terrorists if they make this attempt....