Seville - Spain has sent a reconnaissance aircraft and 90 soldiers to Somalia as part of its efforts to combat the recent upswing in piracy off the coast of the African state, the Spanish Ministry of Defence said on Saturday.

The surveillance plane as well as two troop transport and equipment flights left from Moron airbase near Seville in southern Spain and will operate from a base in Djibouti, the ministry said.

The Spanish mission will support a recent EU initiative to curb piracy in the Gulf of Aden, which has become a pressing problem in recent months.

A French tuna fishing boat was attacked by Somali pirates armed with rocket-propelled grenades on September 14.

The vessel, crewed by mostly French and Spanish fishermen, managed to escape and fled to the Seychelles.

EU ministers meeting in Brussels on September 15 said they had approved "a strategic military option for a possible European Union naval operation."

The Spanish mission is initially planned to last for three months, with the possibility of an extension. There are currently 17 Spanish fishing vessels in international waters off the coast of Somalia. (dpa)