ID :
200859
Fri, 08/12/2011 - 11:17
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/200859
The shortlink copeid
New batch of Korean anti-piracy troops sets off for waters off Somalia
BUSAN, Aug. 12 (Yonhap) -- About 300 elite South Korean troops aboard a destroyer set sail on Friday for waters off Somalia to relieve an existing contingent patrolling the piracy-infested shipping routes, Navy officials said.
The dispatch of the 4,400-ton Munmu the Great to the Gulf of Aden marked the eighth replacement of the Cheonghae unit since its deployment in early 2009 under a global effort to tackle piracy there.
The replacement contingent for the Cheonghae unit, named after a ninth century Korean naval base, is set to begin its mission from September, Navy officials said.
The unit is tasked with protecting South Korean vessels off the Somalian coast and providing support to ships of other nations in nearby waters.
In January, Navy commandos from the Cheonghae unit raided a South Korean freighter hijacked by Somalian pirates in the Arabian Sea, rescuing all 21 crew members and killing eight pirates.
The dispatch of the 4,400-ton Munmu the Great to the Gulf of Aden marked the eighth replacement of the Cheonghae unit since its deployment in early 2009 under a global effort to tackle piracy there.
The replacement contingent for the Cheonghae unit, named after a ninth century Korean naval base, is set to begin its mission from September, Navy officials said.
The unit is tasked with protecting South Korean vessels off the Somalian coast and providing support to ships of other nations in nearby waters.
In January, Navy commandos from the Cheonghae unit raided a South Korean freighter hijacked by Somalian pirates in the Arabian Sea, rescuing all 21 crew members and killing eight pirates.
