Somali Pirates 'Killed in French Rocket Attack'

Nicolas Sarkozy today strongly denied reports that three people were killed ina French military operation against Somalian pirates.

The French President "categorically denied" claims from eyewitnessesthat French helicopters fired rockets at the pirates this afternoon, soonafter they released 30 hostages from a captured luxury yacht off theSomalian coast.

Eight other people were reportedly wounded and eight more captured in theoperation, which took place in the Garaad district of Northern Somalia.

“I could see clouds of smoke as six helicopters were bombing the pirates. Thepirates were also firing anti-aircraft machine guns in reaction. I cannottell the exact casualties,” Mohamed Ibrahim, an eyewitness, said.

The district commissioner of Garaad described how the helicopters landed andtroops jumped out to grab members of a group of 14 pirates who had just comeashore.

“Local residents came out to the see the helicopters on the ground. Thehelicopters took off and fired rockets on the vehicles and the residentsthere, killing five local people,” Commissioner Abdiaziz Olu-Yusuf Mohamedsaid.

French officials said that the operation was conducted with minimal use offorce for fear of causing collateral damage.