An Iraqi tribe from southern Iraq sent members to fight Somali pirates in order to recover a ship that had been hijacked, according to Iraqi reports on Friday.
The reports, circulating on Arabic social media, said that the tribe had announced they had recovered a ship after Somali pirates had hijacked it.
The Iraqi Al-Shaghanba tribal clan said that it sent members to the seas off Somalia. The tribal members then “succeeded in recovering a ship owned by a businessman from the tribe.” The ship, which was apparently transporting oil from the UAE to Europe, had been in the hands of pirates for a month, who were demanding ransom for its release.
Tribal members went out to the sea off Somalia, apparently in coordination with the Somali government, and then fought a gun battle with the pirates. Video posted online showed two men, apparently from the tribe, with belt-fed machine guns shooting at the pirates.
The alleged battle at sea lasted around five hours, and several of the pirates were killed or wounded and then captured. Video and photos show several vessels involved in the clash. It was not clear how it developed. Basra Today released a statement attributed to the Al-Shaghanba “clan,” or asirat, saying it is part of the Obadah tribe, or qabilat. This usually indicates that the Al-Shaghanba is part of a larger tribal group.
Al-Shaghanba quotes Islamic text, calls actions of pirates ‘sinful aggression’
The statement quoted an Islamic text that says, “But if anyone transgresses against you, then transgress against him in the same way as he transgressed against you. And fear Allah; and know that Allah is with those who fear Him.”
“Following the sinful aggression carried out by Somali pirates against one of our ships, and after communication, coordination, and obtaining authorization from the fraternal government of the Republic of Somalia, we were able to recover the ship in Somali waters, arrest the aggressors, and take measures against them,” the statement continued.
Kurdistan24 noted that “forty members of a Basra tribe helped free an oil tanker seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, capturing seven alleged attackers and securing the release of the crew, according to a local media report citing a tribal sheikh.” It added that Sheikh Ali al-Shaghanba described the incident.
Sheikh says tribal group captured seven pirates during battle
The tribal members are from Abu al-Khasib, south of Basra, on the Shatt al Arab waterway. The men come from the village of Jaykur, close to the Iranian border. The sheikh said, “Seven alleged pirates were captured during the operation, while others escaped.”
In another incident off Somalia in August, the Turkish Navy said it had also battled pirates. In a 10-day operation, the Turkish Navy eliminated four boats used by pirates, killing 14 of them.
