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Two more months until Maltese troops return from anti-piracy mission off Somali coast
AFM soldiers in EU naval force mission off Somalia and Djibouti send photos to fellow soldiers at home.
25 August 2013, 12:00am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
1 min read
Maltese soldiers off the coast of Somalia as they carry out anti piracy operations.(Photo: AFM)
Twenty-two highly trained Maltese soldiers, who last month embarked on a pirate surveillance mission off the Somali coast, sent in photos to their colleagues in Malta during an anti-piracy operation.
Led by Lieutenant Colonel Ian Ruggier, the AFM soldiers were under rigorous training with the Dutch military for 18 months.
Later in August, the troops will head for the Indian Ocean. The mission, which forms part of the EU NAVFOR Atalanta, is an EU Naval Force Mission aimed to protect vulnerable ships from acts of piracy off the Somali coast and off Djibouti.
This is the third mission Malta is partaking in connection with the EU Naval Force.
The AFM team is made of 20 officers from the 'C Special Duties' Company, a Lt Col from AFM HQ and an officer from the '3rd Regiment' explosives ordinance division (EOD) who is also a combat medic.
The troops are expected back at the beginning of October.
