MOSCOW, September 30 (RIA Novosti) – South Korean troops will likely extend their deployment in the Gulf of Aden and the United Arab Emirates by another year, Yonhap News Agency reports.
South Korea’s cabinet approved a bill on Tuesday, according to a government official. If the South Korean parliament approves the bill, it will allow the troops to stay in the Gulf of Aden until the end of 2015, the source said.
Since the rise of piracy off the coast of Somalia, South Korea, among other nations, has deployed its navy to the Gulf of Aden in 2009 to ensure the safety of cargo vessels, which were getting hijacked by the pirates.
In January of 2011, the South Korean navy rescued 21 sailors from a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates. After a dramatic turn of events, the Korean navy exchanged fire with the pirates, killing eight pirates and capturing five, CNN reported.
There are about 320 South Korean troops in the Gulf, including marines, pilots and navy SEALs, according to Yonhap News.
