EDWARD HARRIS
The Associated Press
NAIROBI, Kenya – The U.S. Navy was tracking a hijacked Japanese tanker off the coast of Somalia on Thursday with the aim of removing the attackers from the ship.
The Navy came to the vessel's aid this week when a warship destroyed pirate skiffs tied to the Japanese boat.
Naval personnel also boarded a North Korean vessel to treat crew members and pirates wounded during an uprising that returned the ship to its rightful control. One hijacker was killed, and the others remain detained on board, including three with gunshot wounds.
The U.S. military said it continued to monitor the two boats Thursday off the southern Somali coast.
"The goal is to get the pirates off the ships so the ships can return to legitimate shipping traffic and transit," said Cmdr. Lydia Robertson, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.
