BRUSSELS, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The European Union says it plans to train hundreds of Somali security forces as part of its effort to bring stability to the war-torn African nation.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told a Brussels news conference that Somali security forces have asked for special training to fight against the growing armed insurgency in their country, the EUobserver reports.
Solana said the training would not be a big operation.
"It will probably be in the hundreds, not the thousands," he said Tuesday.
The EU also plans to extend its anti-piracy mission off Somalia's shores into 2010.
Solana said the EU is considering broadening the operation to target Somali ports and so-called "mother ships" that provide support to the pirates.
Somali pirates have attacked hundreds of vessels in recent years and are currently expanding their reach.
An EU naval force Tuesday reported that Somali pirates had captured a chemical tanker off the Seychelles Islands.
