French forces have captured six suspected pirates in the Indian Ocean after a command and supply ship was attacked by gunmen in speedboats, the French military says.
Pirates in two skiffs attacked the Somme ship overnight on Monday, about 300 kilometres off the coast of Somalia.
The French fired back and the speedboats fled.
No one was injured and after a brief search of the area, the Somme discovered the assailants’ mother ship.
“We found the suspected pirates, petrol and equipment that could be used for anything but fishing,” said Colonel Patrick Steiger, a spokesman for the military.
It was the second time in six months the Somme had come under attack while taking part in a European anti-piracy operation in the area.
“In a funny way, the boat looks like a civilian vessel and we think that it was attacked by mistake,” Colonel Steiger said.
