Turkish Navy takes command of Somalia anti-piracy force from US

Turkish Rear Adm. Caner Bener relieved Rear Adm. Michelle Howard as commander of the Combined Task Force - 151, in a ceremony held aboard Naval Support Activity Bahrain.     Â

Turkey is the second nation to command the CTF-151 established in January 2009 to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean after a wave of hijackings off the coast of Somalia.

In February, Turkish frigate TGC Giresun, with 263 men on board, had set sail to join CTF 151.

CTF 151 is one of four international naval forces operating in the region. The others are the European Union's "EUNAVFOR Atlanta", NATO's Standing Naval Maritime Group One and French-commanded Combined Task Force 150.

Its remit was to lead operations conducted by any states that might choose to put themselves under U.S. command, rather than work with NATO or the European Union.

Somali pirates attacked more than 130 merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden last year, an increase of more than 200 percent on 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau which tracks piracy.

The heavily armed pirates operate high-powered speed boats and sometimes hold ships for weeks before releasing them for large ransoms paid by governments or ship owners.

More than 150 suspected pirates were arrested by naval patrols in the Gulf in 2008.

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