Puntland has arrested four men accused of links to Somali pirates who are holding commercial vessels hijacked off its coast.
Reliable sources say that one of the men arrested was the translator for one of the pirates who was holding a commercial vessel.
The men were recently arrested in the Garacad area. They are accused of working with pirate networks operating off the coast of Puntland, while others are suspected of having played a role in organizing the recent attacks on three ships still being held off the coast of Puntland.
Militants opposed to the arrest of the men recently attacked a police station in Garacad, killing one officer.
Meanwhile, sources say that Puntland has called on companies that own the hijacked ships not to pay ransom, saying that it will take action against the pirates if they do not release the ships.
Three ships are currently being held off the coast of Puntland. Somali pirates are also reported to have ties to the Houthi group, who are said to be helping them with information on ship movements.
