Washington - The United States has made no deal with Somalia to run anti-piracy patrols off its coast, an American official said on Tuesday, denying claims by the East African country's prime minister.
"There is no such deal as alleged," said the State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We haven't made any arrangement to patrol those waters."
Somalia's transitional prime minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi, earlier said he had secured a "milestone" agreement for US Navy ships to patrol the waters where an increasing number of merchant ships have come under attack.
Gedi told reporters that ships from the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet, which have already moved against Somali pirates in international waters in the Indian Ocean, would now operate within Somalia's territorial waters.
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"The US Navy has agreed to secure Somali waters from illegal fishing, tame activities of pirates and keep a vigil on acts related to terrorism," Gedi said.
State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack had no comment on the reported deal with Somalia but said US forces were generally active in the region conducting counter-terrorism operations and battling pirates. - Sapa-AFP
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