Turkey extends the period of operation of Somalia antipiracy forces

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

TCG Gemlik was one of the Turkish ships which participated to the antipiracy operations off the Somalian coast. AA photo

Turkish Parliament has approved a resolution that extends the period of operation for the Turkish Naval Forces fighting piracy off the Somalian coast. With this new resolution the government will now have the opportunity to extend operations until Feb. 10, 2014.  

Naval Forces operate as part of the counter-piracy international task force CTF 151 established in January 2009 to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean after a wave of hijackings occured in the region. It was launched by the United States as an international effort specifically for counter-piracy operations.