Worldwide,the number of pirate attacks increased by 11 percent, and the bureau said the boom came from the Gulf of Aden, the stretch of the Arab Sea separating Somalia from Yemen.

VOA: standard.2009.10.30

Pirate ships often flew the flag of a friendly country as they sailed toward the ship they planned to rob.

VOA: special.2009.05.24

They raised the pirate flag -- with its picture of a skull and crossed bones.

VOA: special.2009.05.24

The U.S.Navy and the navies of dozens of other countries are patrolling the narrow waterway to deter ship hijackings-for-ransom by pirate gangs.

VOA: standard.2010.01.07

Of almost 300 pirate attacks the maritime organization recorded for 2008, more than 100 took place on the high seas off Somalia's coast.

VOA: standard.2009.10.30

Experts say it is the longest range of a pirate attack off the Somali coast yet.

VOA: standard.2009.11.10

From the central Somali town of Galkayo, the mother of the alleged pirate, Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, appealed to President Barack Obama to release her son, whom she described as a "talented boy" and "a good student."

VOA: standard.2009.04.22