ISLAMIST fighters who control a large area of southern Somalia stormed a ship hijacked by pirates and recovered it overnight, a maritime official said today. The seizure is the first delivery by the Islamists on a promise to stamp out rampant piracy in the shipping lanes along its coast, the longest in Africa. The Islamists seized the capital in June from US-backed warlords and went on to take over much of southcentral Somalia, imposing sharia law. Andrew Mwangura, coordinator of the Seafarers Assistance Programme, said all 14 crew were safe and two pirates were seriously wounded during the Islamist boarding. "The ship ... is headed back to Mogadishu under the command of three tug boats belonging to the Islamists," Mr Mwangura said by telephone. The Islamists could not immediately be reached for comment.
The ship, registered in the United Arab Emirates and carrying charcoal, was seized off the Somali coast on Thursday. The crew came from India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, Mr Mwangura said. Backed by wealthy Somali businessmen, the Islamists have sought to impose law and order to boost trade that had been reliant on a capricious system of warlord fiefdoms during the country's 15 years without a proper government.