Nairobi- The United Nations Special Representative for Somalia Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah called for international action Friday to combat a surge in piracy in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia.

Piracy has surged this year in the Gulf of Aden, part of an important shipping route from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal.

Somalia's transitional federal government, which has no navy to speak of and is embroiled in combating a bloody insurgency, has been unable to control the pirates.

Nairobi- The United Nations Special Humanitarian Envoy on Thursday called for the international community, in particular Muslim nations, to step up aid to war-torn Somalia, which is facing a growing humanitarian emergency.

"Today, as we are about to enter the Holy month of Ramadan, I urge the international community, and in particular the global Muslim community, to exercise their moral and religious duty in support of the Somali people," Abdul Aziz Arukkban said.

Nairobi/Addis Ababa  - Ethiopia could withdraw its troops from war-torn Somalia even if the transitional government is not stable but will hold on at least until the African Union deploys additional peacekeepers, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has said.

Ethiopian troops invaded neighbouring Somalia in 2006 to help kick out the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) and put the transitional federal government back in power.

Ethiopia has long worried that instability in Somalia and the existence of Somali separatist groups in Ethiopia's Ogaden region only increases the anxiety.

Nairobi - Around eight ships have been seized by pirates off the lawless Somali coast with gunfire being reported during one of the hijackings, an official said Monday.

"Around eight ships have been seized, but we believe there were no fatalities," Andrew Mwangura, the head of the Kenya-based East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

"There was a shoot-out at one of the ships, but it was a quarrel between the gunmen," he continued. "We understand there were no injuries."

Earlier reports had suggested three sailors had been killed.

Berlin  - One of the three ships seized by pirates off the Somali coast was a German freighter, officials in Berlin indicated Friday.

Nairobi, Mogadishu - Somali pirates have hijacked a Japanese tanker and an Iranian cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden just two days after a Malaysian ship was seized, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said Thursday.

The BBC quoted IMB head Noel Choong as telling reporters in Kuala Lumpar that the ships were seized on Thursday morning.

There are believed to be around 20 crew onboard the Japanese ship while the number onboard the Iranian vessel is unknown.