No Honor Among Thieves

No, this is not a post about Congress. Rather, it is a follow-up to a post a few days ago about an act of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Apparently, there has been a shot-out among the scalawags who hijacked the ship (like my use of pirate lingo).

This from the BeeB;

Somali pirates on board a hijacked ship are reported to have been involved in a shoot-out over what to do with the vessel's cargo of tanks and weapons.

An East African maritime group, which is monitoring the situation, told the BBC that three men were shot but the extent of their injuries was unclear.

Pirates seized the Ukrainian ship last week, demanding a $20m (£11m) ransom.

They dismissed the claim of infighting as "cheap propaganda", in a phone call to the BBC Somali Service.

"There has been no exchange of fire at all. We're in good shape," spokesman Sugule Ali told the BBC.
[...]
The hijacked Ukrainian ship, the Faina, is surrounded by international warships determined to stop its military cargo from falling into the wrong hands.

Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Association - who has been in contact with the vessel - told the BBC that two rival clans had been fighting over tactics.

He said radicals on board wanted to keep the shipment of 33 T-72 tanks and other weapons in Somalia while the moderates wanted "to back-pedal on the ransom issue".

Mr Mwangura said his main concern was the safety of the crew, and that the military activity in the area had unnerved the hijackers.

"We are asking the international community and the negotiators around that area to pull back - so they cool off," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
[...]
One of the ship's 21 crew is reported to have died from an illness on board.

A number of US ships from the Fifth Fleet including the USS Howard, are currently monitoring the situation, although they appear to have taken no action.

Yet.

(Sources: US Navy, US Navy, BBC)