The Hague: The Dutch Defence Ministry says its marines have killed two pirates and captured 16 in an operation to free a hijacked Iranian fishing boat off the coast of Somalia.
The ministry says in a statement that marines from the frigate HMS Tromp opened fire on the pirates on Sunday after they shot at two Dutch inflatable speed boats sent to investigate a suspicious fishing vessel.
Ten suspected pirates were captured as they tried to flee in a high-speed skiff and six more were detained on the fishing boat. The bodies of two suspected pirates killed in the firefight also were recovered on the boat.
Defence Ministry spokeswoman Marloes Visser said on Monday the pirates, some of whom were injured in the shooting, were being questioned on board the Tromp.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, April 04, 2011, 13:09