NAIROBI, kenya —The European Union, which had vowed to take a tougher stand against the scourge of Somali piracy, took the fight to the pirates’ home base for the first time Tuesday, destroying several of their signature fiberglass skiffs as they lay on the beach in a notorious pirate den.
The Europeans hit from combat helicopters, with forces never actually landing in Somalia, and European officials said it was likely there would be more strikes in the future.
“This is a fantastic opportunity,” said Lt. Cmdr. Jacqueline Sherriff, a spokeswoman for the European Union’s anti-piracy force. “What we want to do is make life more difficult for these guys.”
But in Xarardheere, the pirate den that was attacked, the reaction to the strike was mixed. Some residents spoke of the deep unease they felt over the past few days as aircraft believed to be European spy planes buzzed over town and patrol boats spied from offshore, apparently in preparation for the raid.
“Two nights ago, they come with small speedboats to the seashore of the town, but they went back without shooting,” one resident said.
Another spoke of the early-morning raid and having his livelihood interrupted: “We were preparing to go in the sea for fishing last night, but we heard the noises of helicopters moving upstairs in our sky.”
Residents also said that the EU helicopters that had strafed the pirate skiffs, which the pirates call their hunting boats, also destroyed several old-fashioned Arab dhows, wooden sailboats sometimes used by the pirates to ferry supplies to captured ships.
Somali officials commended the raid, saying they had given the Europeans approval to take whatever measures necessary to stamp out the pirates.
