Bartamaha(Nairobi):-After impatiently waiting for the formal ceremony on board the Dutch military ship to end, Karl ran towards his father, clutched his leg and clambered into his arms for the first time in three months.

His father, Captain Darren Micallef, headed the group of 12 Maltese soldiers who were on the EU anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast on board the Dutch ship Johan de Witt.

The ship berthed at Grand Harbour yesterday while on its way to the Netherlands after completing her three-month tour of duty.

During a brief welcome ceremony on board the ship, the Maltese soldiers were decorated by the Dutch government with a medal recognising their service in the mission.

In the presence of family and friends, the soldiers maintained their composure as speeches rambled on, even if those with children did take a sneak peek at their young ones.

Capt. Micallef was the national contingent commander with the job of coordinating the Maltese soldiers’ work with their Dutch counterparts and liaise with military authorities in Malta.

With orange juice spilled by his son streaming down his forehead, Capt. Micallef was very satisfied with the outcome of the mission.

“The important thing is we have returned safe and sound,” he said. His wife, Roberta, smiled, insisting it was a big relief to see him back home.

Her relief was shared by a teary-eyed mother of a young soldier who had his son glued to his leg waiting to go to the playground with his father. “It is hard,” she said, when asked how it felt not to see her son for three whole months.

In a brief address extolling the success of the operation, which he described as a milestone for the army, AFM commander, Brigadier Martin Xuereb not only thanked the soldiers but also their families. “We owe a big thank you for the support you gave your loved ones,” he told mothers, fathers, wives and girlfriends assembled on deck.

During the operation, the warship warded off a number of pirate attacks on commercial ships, capturing six boats, of which three were displayed on deck.

According to the Armed Forces of Malta in one incident, on June 18, a boat with six pirates approached the Dutch warship and a team of Maltese soldiers was deployed in a fast boat to confront the aggressors. When the pirates realised they were dealing with a military vessel they changed course in the direction of the coast. The Johan de Witt fired a number of warning shots and, once the boat stopped, the soldiers arrested the pirates and transferred them onboard the ship.

Malta’s contribution to the UN-mandated EU anti-piracy mission was the first in which soldiers were directly engaged in live operations.

In a separate EU mission, Maltese soldiers are engaged in training Somali government soldiers in Uganda.

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Source:-Times of Malta

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