Danish Navy Kills Four Pirates, Frees 16 Hostages

 

The Danish Navy killed four pirates and released 16 hostages last Thursday after an encounter with a pirated vessel.

The Danish warship ESBERN SNARE was approached by a pirate mother ship Thursday morning odd the coast of Somalia. When the warship told the pirate ship to stop, the vessel opened fire, and the warship immediately returned with fire. The pirates onboard finally surrendered, throwing their weapons in the water.

Four pirates were killed during the firefight and 24 were taken into custody – 10 of the 24 were treated for injuries onboard the warship. No Navy personnel or 16 Iranian hostages onboard the dhow were injured during the mission.

The four dead pirates were buried at sea in following with NATO procedures and Muslim traditions.