The United Nations Security Council Says OK to Military Force

The European Union will begin air and naval operations next week.

The U.S. lead resolution to pursue pirates in Somalia’s waters was adopted unanimously by the UN Council. Obviously, the Somalia transitional government has agreed to allow the coalition warships in its territorial waters.

The international community wants to send a very strong signal of its determination to deal with piracy. The EU is sending warships, which will have air cover, to patrol Somalia's Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean waters, where piracy is threatening the world's busiest maritime trade routes. However, the issue of who has jurisdiction over captured pirates and where they can be prosecuted remains unresolved.

The European mission is also about protecting ships transporting aid and supplies for the World Food Program, which feeds about three million Somalis dependent on the food aid.

The naval force, backed by patrolling aircraft, will be commanded by British forces. There are already several international naval operations along the Horn of Africa, including a NATO mission to counter piracy, but their presence has done little to deter the hijackers, who have been paid tens of millions of dollars in ransoms by shipping companies for the return of their ships and crews.