Indian Navy sinks Somali pirate ship

New Delhi: Indian Navy's warship INS Tabar sunk a Somali pirate ship in the Gulf of Aden. It is the first time since 1971 that the Indian Navy has struck an enemy vessel.

INS Tabar sunk the ship following an exchange of gunfire on Tuesday night and the operation has brought India praise from the world.

The Indian Navy has pulled off an anti-piracy operation which even the French and American warships have been unable to in the past few weeks.

"When we opened fire, the ammunition which was stacked on the mother boat caught fire and there were explosios were heard," Indian Navy Spokesperson Commander Nirad Sinha said.

The success comes barely a week after INS Tabar foiled two piracy attempts in the area.

But with seven reported piracies in the last 12 days by Somali bandits, including that of a Saudi super tanker carrying a $100 million worth of crude oil, the magnitude of the problem is clear.

With the Somali piracy crisis escalating to unprecedented levels, India is taking a lead role in combating the menace. This international crisis could legitimise India's role as the premier maritime power in the region.

In fact, India's role as the prime anti-piracy campaigner may just give a push to its initiative to forge a security framework of Indian Ocean navies, which could have the beginnings of an Asian NATO-like organisation.

"We would like to cooperate with other countries in the Indian Ocean region as also the UN umbrella to ensure that Indian ocean is an area of peace and stability," Commander Sinha said.

India's Navy Chief Sureesh Mehta recently declared piracy as an act of war, signaling a free hand to his force to take the problem head on. The Naval muscle also appears set to give an edge to New Delhi's diplomacy.

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#Indian Navy #INS Tabar #Somalia #pirates #Gulf of Aden