Report: 5,000 pirates recruited for Gulf region

MOSCOW — Russian military intelligence has assessed that more than 5,000 Somali pirates are operating in the Gulf region.

Officials said military intelligence concluded that thousands of Somalis were recruited for piracy operations in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Gulf. They said the assessment estimated that more than 5,000 pirates were operating in the Gulf of Aden near Yemen.

"Pirates have become more daring and aggressive recently," Russian Navy deputy commander Vice Adm. Oleg Burtsev said. "There were instances when they seized vessels right in front of the ships that were responsible for the security of commercial shipping."

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