Page last updated at 12:38 GMT,
Thursday, 8 January 2009
US to lead new anti-pirate forceA new international force to combat piracy off
the coast of Somalia is being formed and will be
headed by an American admiral, the US navy says.
More than 20 nations are expected to contribute
to the force, due to be fully operational later
in January.
-snip-Ships from other navies, including Canada, Iran,
India and China, have also been patrolling one
of the world's busiest sea lanes - the waters
of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean leading
to and from the Suez Canal.
Security measuresUS Navy Rear Admiral Terence McKnight has been
named the commander of the new force, called
Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151), the US Fifth
Fleet said in a statement from its headquarters
in Bahrain.
-snip-