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US Military Operation Frees Hostages in Somalia Successfully

Seven Somali kidnappers were killed instantly, one is dying and four were wounded in a dawn raid on the hostage takers of American Jessica Buchanan and her Danish co-worker Poul Thisted deep inland of central Somalia near Dusamareb this morning, our monitors reported from Galmudug state in central Somalia.

A disinformation campaign initiated by the hostage takers and spread by the website Somalia report, who claimed with detailed stories that the hostages were held on sea-jacked MV ALBEDO near Garacad at the coast and that the demand was 10 mio US Dollars, did not distract the pursuers and this morning the hostages were freed unharmed.

Overnight helicopters landed in Galkayo airport, which is jointly administered by the two regional states of Puntland and Galmudug and started the operation from there.

Meanwhile the negotiations by Somali elders in the hostage case of American writer Michael Scott Moore, hijacked last Saturday, have not brought the envisaged immediate unconditional release of the hostage, who is held by a group, which hold him together with an Israeli and a Seychelloi man from the sea-jacked, Seychelles-flagged motorboat ARIDE near Hobyo.

For further details and regional information see the Counter-Piracy Portal of ECOTERRA at www.australia.to and the situation map of the PIRACY COASTS OF SOMALIA (2011).

ECOTERRA Intl. and ECOP-marine serve concerning the counter-piracy issues as advocacy groups in their capacity as human rights, marine and maritime monitors as well as in co-operation with numerous other organizations, groups and individuals as information clearing-house. In difficult cases we have successfully served as mediators.