11:56 PM, May. 20, 2011 |
BEIJING (AP) – China’s military is urging land attacks on Somali pirate strongholds in a bold call signaling the armed forces’ growing assertiveness.
China’s navy has taken part in anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since December 2008, but the government has not advocated direct attacks on land areas from which pirates operate.
However, at a news conference Wednesday in Washington, Gen. Chen Bingde said he thinks land bases must be attacked for counter-piracy campaigns to be effective.
The U.S. and other countries taking part in the patrols have steered clear of land attacks for fear of becoming mired in ongoing campaigns in Somalia – a lawless nation where 18 U.S. servicemen were killed in the capital, Mogadishu, in 1993.
BEIJING (AP) – China’s military is urging land attacks on Somali pirate strongholds in a bold call signaling the armed forces’ growing assertiveness.
China’s navy has taken part in anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since December 2008, but the government has not advocated direct attacks on land areas from which pirates operate.
However, at a news conference Wednesday in Washington, Gen. Chen Bingde said he thinks land bases must be attacked for counter-piracy campaigns to be effective.
The U.S. and other countries taking part in the patrols have steered clear of land attacks for fear of becoming mired in ongoing campaigns in Somalia – a lawless nation where 18 U.S. servicemen were killed in the capital, Mogadishu, in 1993.