Piracy in Somalia Somali pirates surrender after being overwhelmed by military vessels after attempting to take over a merchant ship. - cnn Thursday, May 17, 2012 By Emily Fishman Advertising Many people may still associate piracy with stories from their childhood from centuries past. In the world today,  it seems quite strange that pirates still plague the open ocean and terrorize ships at sea – both civilian, military, and trade.     However, piracy is a very real issue stemming from the coast of Somalia and, over the past few years, spreading further and further away as the perpetrators become bolder and more heavily armed.     On May 15th, European Union Forces struck the Somali mainland for the first time, by air. Commanders of the attack believe that acting proactively and striking the pirates on land instead of waiting to be attacked at sea will severely impede their ability to expand their reach beyond the immediate coast off Somalia –  something that has of late hindered shipping and trade in the area as merchant vessels, cruise ships, and military ships  have deemed the area too risky to traverse.     Over the past several years, Somali pirates have attempted to  expand their reach past even the sea. In October 2011, a disabled French woman was abducted from the    high end Kenyan resort at which she was on holiday and held for ransom. Only a few weeks prior to this incident, a British couple staying and Kenya were attacked  by Somali gunmen. The husband was shot and killed and the wife was held for ransom in Somalia.

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