A French warship operating in the waters of KenyaA French warship has captured 11 pirates off the coast of Kenya, amid clamour for the international community to deal with the problem of piracy.
The gang was captured by a warship from an EU piracy patrol, French officials said, hours after a failed attack on a US ship.
Other pirates released a Greek ship and its 24 crew held since mid-March.
News of the incidents came as the UN special envoy for Somalia said the attacks threatened international peace.
The latest raid involved pirates firing rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons at a US-flagged cargo ship, the Liberty Sun, which was carrying food aid for Africa.
The French defence ministry said the warship Nivose captured the pirates about 550 miles (900km) east of the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
It had detected a "mother ship", or command vessel, on Tuesday, and observed it overnight before launching an assault early on Wednesday, the ministry said.
An attack on a Liberian-registered vessel was also thwarted, the ministry added.
The Nivose is part of the European Union's operation to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden.
Meanwhile, a Greek-owned merchant vessel taken on 19 March was released by pirates, but there were no details of whether a ransom was paid.
The St Vincent-flagged Titan, with its 24 crew members all well, was now heading to its original destination of South Korea, the Greek maritime ministry said.
Despite several anti-piracy patrols, there has been an increase in raids in the past few days, with four ships seized and others attacked.
The United Nations special envoy for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, said the attacks risked international security.
In a BBC interview, he also called for help for poor Somalis themselves, many of whom were being exploited by the pirates.
"What is important is to show determination as the international naval presence is doing," he said. "You will see in the next few weeks a sharp decrease in piracy.
"They already are going further south and at the same time we should do something inland, trying to provide more jobs for these unfortunate youngsters who are exploited by the financiers who are backing piracy."
Source: BBC
