US Navy 1, pirates 0. Kidnapped US captain freed; snipers kill 3 pirates

[The Overlord]

To the Somalian pirates that had the arrogance to attack a US vessel and fire at a US destroyer, F*** you. You're fishbait.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy


I was discussing this in comms with some fellow EQ gamers last night, some of which were vets. I mentioned then my gut said SEAL's were going to factor into settling this issue, which there was agreement on. These little bastards are just too brazen and arrogant, and taking them to school was probably the only viable option.

America has raised the bar on this epidemic off the African coasts, and made the case that we don’t take shit. Since the pirate leaders have quoted the following-

Abdullahi Lami, one of the pirates holding the Greek ship anchored in the Somali town of Gaan, said: "Every country will be treated the way it treats us. In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying," he told The Associated Press. "We will retaliate (for) the killings of our men."

Jamac Habeb, a 30-year-old self-proclaimed pirate, told the AP from one of Somalia's piracy hubs, Eyl, that: "From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them (the hostages)."

"Now they became our number one enemy," Habeb said of U.S. forces.


I'll assume it's full-on war with these bastards, and high time someone stepped up. The next logical step will be to assume they'll make good on their threat and try to kill American hostages. That means we arm our freighters where and how we can. It means proactive hunter-killer operations to take out the pirate fleet. It means surgical strikes on Somalian targets if need be.


Guess what, you just pissed off the wrong county. You deserve whatever you get.

NAIROBI, Kenya – Navy snipers on the fantail of a destroyer cut down three Somali pirates in a lifeboat and rescued an American sea captain in a surprise nighttime assault in choppy seas Easter Sunday, ending a five-day standoff between a team of rogue gunmen and the world's most powerful military.

It was a stunning ending to an Indian Ocean odyssey that began when 53-year-old freighter Capt. Richard Phillips was taken hostage Wednesday by pirates who tried to hijack the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama. The Vermont native was held on a tiny lifeboat that began drifting precariously toward Somalia's anarchic, gun-plagued shores.

The operation, personally approved by President Barack Obama, quashed fears the saga could drag on for months and marked a victory for the U.S., which for days seemed powerless to resolve the crisis despite massing helicopter-equipped warships at the scene.

One of the pirates pointed an AK-47 at the back of Phillips, who was tied up and in "imminent danger" of being killed when the commander of the nearby USS Bainbridge made the split-second decision to order his men to shoot, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said. The lifeboat was being towed by the Bainbridge at the time, he said.

A fourth pirate was in discussions with naval authorities about Phillips' fate when the rescue took place. He is in U.S. custody and could face could face life in a U.S. prison.

The rescue was a dramatic blow to the pirates who have preyed on international shipping and hold more than a dozen ships with about 230 foreign sailors. But it is unlikely to do much to quell the region's growing pirate threat, which has transformed one of the world's busiest shipping lanes into one of its most dangerous. It also risked provoking retaliatory attacks.

"This could escalate violence in this part of the world, no question about it," said Gortney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

Abdullahi Lami, one of the pirates holding the Greek ship anchored in the Somali town of Gaan, said: "Every country will be treated the way it treats us. In the future, America will be the one mourning and crying," he told The Associated Press. "We will retaliate (for) the killings of our men."

Jamac Habeb, a 30-year-old self-proclaimed pirate, told the AP from one of Somalia's piracy hubs, Eyl, that: "From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them (the hostages)."

"Now they became our number one enemy," Habeb said of U.S. forces.

Phillips was not hurt in several minutes of gunfire and the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet said he was resting comfortably on a U.S. warship after receiving a medical exam.

"I'm just the byline. The real heroes are the Navy, the Seals, those who have brought me home," Phillips said by phone to Maersk Line Limited President and CEO John Reinhart, the company head told reporters. A photo released by the Navy showed Phillips unharmed and shaking hands with the commanding officer of the USS Bainbridge.

Obama said Phillips had courage that was "a model for all Americans" and he was pleased about the rescue, adding that the United States needs help from other countries to deal with the threat of piracy and to hold pirates accountable.

Phillips' 17,000-ton ship, which docked with the 19 members of his crew Saturday in Mombasa, Kenya, erupted into wild cheers. Some waved an American flag and one fired a bright red flare skyward in celebration.

"We made it!" said crewman ATM Reza, pumping his fist in the air.

The ship had been carrying food aid bound for Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda when the ordeal began hundreds of miles off Somalia's eastern coast Wednesday. Crew members said they saw pirates scrambling into the ship with ropes and hooks from a small boat bobbing on the surface of the Indian Ocean far below.

As the pirates shot in the air, Phillips told his crew to lock themselves in a cabin and surrendered himself to safeguard his men, crew members said.

Phillips was then taken hostage in an enclosed lifeboat that was soon shadowed by three U.S. warships and a helicopter in a standoff that grew by the day. The pirates were believed armed with pistols and AK-47 assault rifles.

Talks to free him began Thursday with the captain of the USS Bainbridge talking to the pirates under instruction from FBI hostage negotiators on board the U.S. destroyer. The pirates had threatened to kill Phillips if attacked.

A government official and others in Somalia with knowledge of the situation said negotiations broke down late Saturday. The stumbling block, Somali officials said: Americans' insistence the pirates be arrested and brought to justice.

Phillips jumped out of the lifeboat Friday and tried to swim for his freedom but was recaptured when a pirate fired an automatic weapon into the water, according to U.S. Defense Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about the unfolding operations.

On Saturday, pirates fired a few shots at a small U.S. Navy vessel that had approached, but the U.S. sailors did not return fire.

The U.S. Navy had assumed the pirates would try to get their hostage to shore, where they could have hidden him on Somalia's lawless soil and been in a stronger position to negotiate a ransom.

Somalia's government, which barely controls any territory in the country, welcomed the news of Phillips' rescue.

"The Somali government wanted the drama to end in a peaceful way, but any one who is involved in this latest case had the choice to use violence or other means," Abdulkhadir Walayo, the prime minister's spokesman, told the AP. "We see it will be a good lesson for the pirates or any one else involved in this dirty business."

Worried residents of Harardhere, another port and pirate stronghold, were gathering in the streets after news of the captain's release.

"We fear more that any revenge taken by the pirates against foreign nationals could bring more attacks from the foreign navies, perhaps on our villages," Abdullahi Haji Jama, who owns a clothes store in Harardhere, told the AP by telephone.

Pirates are holding about a dozen ships with more than 200 crew members, according to the Malaysia-based piracy watchdog International Maritime Bureau. Hostages are from Bulgaria, China, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, the Philippines, Russia, Taiwan, Tuvalu and Ukraine, among other countries.

The Navy said Phillips was freed at 7:19 p.m. local time. He was taken aboard the Norfolk, Va.-based Bainbridge and then flown to the San Diego-based USS Boxer for the medical exam, 5th Fleet spokesman Lt. Nathan Christensen said.

Christensen said Phillips was now "resting comfortably." The USS Boxer was in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, Christensen said.

U.S. officials said a fourth pirate had surrendered and was in military custody. FBI spokesman John Miller said that would change as the situation became "more of a criminal issue than a military issue."

A spokeswoman for the Phillips family, Alison McColl, said Phillips and his wife, Andrea, spoke by phone shortly after he was freed.

"I think you can all imagine their joy and what a happy moment that was for them," McColl said outside of the Phillips home in Underhill, Vt. "They're all just so happy and relieved. Andrea wanted me to tell the nation that all of your prayers and good wishes have paid off, because Capt. Phillips is safe."

Capt. Joseph Murphy, the father of second-in-command Shane Murphy, thanked Phillips for his bravery.

"Our prayers have been answered on this Easter Sunday," Murphy said. "If not for his incredible personal sacrifice, this kidnapping and act of terror could have turned out much worse."

Murphy said both his family and Phillips' "can now celebrate a joyous Easter together."

"This was an incredible team effort, and I am extremely proud of the tireless efforts of all the men and women who made this rescue possible" Gortney said in a statement.

He called Phillips and his crew "heroic."

Terry Aiken, 66, who lives across the street from the Phillips house, fought back tears as he reacted to the news.

"I'm very, very happy," Aiken said. "I can't be happier for him and his family."

[Oniya]

I have two words for this.

Sleeping.
Giant.

[Kurzyk]

I have two words for this.

Sleeping.
Giant.

heh awakened?

[Inkidu]

That's the America I know! Hoo-rah! Good thing they didn't use the Marines.

[Zakharra]

 I'm arguing in another forum with some people that think the US should not have resorted to violence and that the pirates were justified since they never intended to kill anyone and have a good record of letting people go once the ransom is paid. That the US overreacted.

  ::)

I think the US Navy did exactly the right thing.

[Avi]

When a pirate group takes a hostage, intending to kill him in order to get a ransom... well, they've kinda given the Navy permission to put some .308 rounds in their skulls.

[Mnemaxa]

"The threat of violence must always be used with the knowledge that the act of violence may follow."

But Sun Tzu never said from which side the violence must come.

[Oniya]

To expand on what I said earlier - these people are affecting international shipping the same way that U-boats were affecting it in the 30s.  They have also shown that they are not above attacking civilians.  If I was involved in the planning of such things, I'd be recommending convoys and escorts for shipping lanes, as well as no-holds-barred on these pirates.

Seriously - what excuse are these guys giving for why we shouldn't be taking these measures?  'You horrible Americans - shooting our pirates when all we're doing is kidnapping your citizens and holding them for ransom!  You should pay us off like everyone else!'?  How does that solve the problem?

[Zeitgeist]

While I didn't vote for Obama, and I really dislike most of what he's done thus far, it would be disingenuous to be an ideologue about things.

Kudos to Obama for making the executive decision to authorize use of force.

And kudos to the Navy Seals for making not one, not two but three money shots off the fantail of a destroyer across the water nailing the three pirates in a bobbing and rocking boat on the high seas.

Pop, pop, pop...

How fricken' sweet.

[Kroduk]

See, look how easy that was. Why isn't everyone just shooting pirates?

[The Overlord]

Obama was correct to make the order to authorize this.

By his heritage alone, Obama is going to be an active proponent of helping Africa develop, but he's made the point that he will brook no foolishness from there.

The experts are correct; this was only round one. This will not stop acts of piracy on its own. But, this was the first direct confrontation between Somalian pirates and the United States, and they got thier balls kicked up into their throat and went home with their tail between their legs.

What happens next is entirely up to the pirates' leaders. If they make good on their threats to make America mourn, then they'll have hell brought down upon their heads the likes of which won't be able to handle.

There are elements of the US military that was ready to go into Somalia at the drop of a hat after the Blackhawk Down incident; who were outraged at the sight of our troops being dragged insultingly through the streets, and wanted nothing better than to go in and teach the little cocksuckers some respect. Clinton opted not to send them, and I agree that it was the wrong move.

I've seen the interviews with Somali militants involved in it; self-righteous little bastards that walked around full of swagger that they punched America in the nose and made it go home, when what we should have done was let our guys get back in the ring and lop off their heads and spit down their throat.

The pirates have promised to make America cry; to paraphrase General Sherman, we need make Somalia howl.

In that regard I think a fight has been brewing between us for years, and it might finally be coming out at last. As was explained, the area of water surrounding Africa where the shipping lanes are threatened is four times the size of Texas. If a warship is under five miles from an attack ship and gets a timely call for help, they can get there in time to bust up a boarding attempt, otherwise it’s all past tense. There’s too much ocean for even the ships of an international policing effort to effectively guard.

The pirates show no sign of stopping; for the most part this is easy money for them. The required fix, then, is not sitting back hoping you can get lucky and catch them in the act. If Somalia makes good on its promise to retaliate on the US, then our navy needs to go find the pirates and pick a fight. We will have to actively hunt and kill the pirate fleet.


CNN keeps running this headline: Can the Pirates Be Stopped?

Don’t be stupid; of course they can. Historically, piracy always flourished in geopolitical environments where they could get away with it until the powers-that-be decided they had enough and went in and took them apart. The end will be same this time around as well; what I sincerely hope is that many of the victimized nations will follow our example and make this the turning point in the piracy campaign, and the juncture that spelled the beginning of the end for their reign of terror on the high seas.

[Kroduk]

Where's Davy Jones when you need him?

[Thufir Hawat]

Guys, I'm not American, I'm not Somali, and as a human being, I'm really glad the captain is alive!
...I also wrote a rather long post considering the merits and flaws of this decision. But now that I think more on it, I believe Obama might have intended to tackle the piracy anyway, so it was probably just a good opportunity to start by showing it's the right thing to do!

[Oniya]

If a warship is under five miles from an attack ship and gets a timely call for help, they can get there in time to bust up a boarding attempt, otherwise it’s all past tense. There’s too much ocean for even the ships of an international policing effort to effectively guard.

So, why not have the policing ships come along with the shipping freighters?

[HairyHeretic]

Volume of shipping and size of ocean, I would imagine. Unless you're running convoys, then the warships are going to be too spread out to be of much help. Convoys would mean scheduling the ships movements, and that would increase running costs for the shipping companies.

[Inkidu]

Why are people suddenly so concerned with pirates' rights? They're criminals. Here they would have the right to remain silent, anything they say can and will be used in a court of law. They have the right to an attorney, so on and so forth.

More than they deserve. Plus this if Somalia. Who knows what rights they give 'em.

[Zeitgeist]

Yeah in order to really resolve the issue, they (NATO?) needs to go after the ports and port cities from which these pirates are based out of.

Ideally the Somali government would license boat operators and oversee fishing licenses. But alas, the government is so inept and defunct that isn't going to happen any time soon.

But the problem needs to be address on many levels and layers if its to be resolved or at least measurably diminished.

[Bliss]

Yeah in order to really resolve the issue, they (NATO?) needs to go after the ports and port cities from which these pirates are based out of.

Ideally the Somali government would license boat operators and oversee fishing licenses. But alas, the government is so inept and defunct that isn't going to happen any time soon.

But the problem needs to be address on many levels and layers if its to be resolved or at least measurably diminished.

This is a very key point here; the Somali government has been neither centralized nor in any way particularly effective for years now.

Policing what waters we can and offering protective measures to shipping... ships* is all well and good for treating the symptoms, but you have to address the source of a problem - the political situation needs some serious work in that country.


* Hi, early morning equals the thing with the thing... y'know the thing?

[Oniya]

Starting to address the symptoms is at least a start - much better than ignoring them and hoping they'll go away.

[Zeitgeist]

This is a very key point here; the Somali government has been neither centralized nor in any way particularly effective for years now.

Policing what waters we can and offering protective measures to shipping... ships* is all well and good for treating the symptoms, but you have to address the source of a problem - the political situation needs some serious work in that country.

Just so long as its not used as an excuse to not enforce piracy on the waters. I mean, we can't throw up our hands and say well, its just pointless because the Somali government is incapable of enforcing any sense of law. The issue needs to be addressed on all levels. Political/Economical/Criminal.

The US has been operating in the Horn of Africa for a number of years now, in large part to deny Al-Qaeda a safe haven and fertile ground to plant more seeds of terrorism.

* Hi, early morning equals the thing with the thing... y'know the thing?

Are you flirting with my thing?  :o

[Bliss]

Just so long as its not used as an excuse to not enforce piracy on the waters. I mean, we can't throw up our hands and say well, its just pointless because the Somali government is incapable of enforcing any sense of law. The issue needs to be addressed on all levels. Political/Economical/Criminal.

The US has been operating in the Horn of Africa for a number of years now, in large part to deny Al-Qaeda a safe haven and fertile ground to plant more seeds of terrorism.

Yes. I'm not saying to look at it only on the political level and leave the waters unguarded, as that wouldn't make any more sense than trying to guard the locations of immediate danger/violence and not attempt to address the high-level where change could be effected.

Are you flirting with my thing?  :o

Mr. Zamdrist, Ah do declay-uh, mah thing wouldn't dream of approaching your thing uniintroduced!
Um.
/hijack

[Zeitgeist]

Yes. I'm not saying to look at it only on the political level and leave the waters unguarded, as that wouldn't make any more sense than trying to guard the locations of immediate danger/violence and not attempt to address the high-level where change could be effected.

Agreed, address it all levels and in conjunction with one another. Much like immigration. But I digress.

Mr. Zamdrist, Ah do declay-uh, mah thing wouldn't dream of approaching your thing uniintroduced!
Um.
/hijack

Oh THAT thing. Flees.

[The Overlord]

.

So, why not have the policing ships come along with the shipping freighters?

That's how it was done in the WWII Atlantic theatre. Ships would group into huge convoys and escorted by Allied warships against the U-boat menace as they moved between North America and the British Isles.

To me, it makes sense to do that, but give that commerce in these channels consists of multinational ships going in and out of many African ports, not to mention those ships that are just bypassing the continent on their way to another region, I am wondering how effective it will all be, from a logistics and organization standpoint.

Like any predator, the pirates won't go for a convoy with destroyers or cruisers running escort unless they're stupid (but you never know being as they actually fired at a US warship), but it will just take a few ships running solo to keep the pirates with good targets.

Policing the sea lanes with or without the convoys will ultimately just help alleviate the symptoms, but not cure the disease. To do that, the pirate fleets will have to be blown out of the water, and/or they'll have to be given an extremely high body count that will put the fear of god in them and make them think that leaving port in the first place is a very bad idea.

My opinion is that any effort to root them out should be a no-quarter affair. Ships known to be pirate vessels can be fired upon and sunk upon sighting, whether they're currently attacking another vessel or not. The pirates should afforded no rights; even the option to execute them on the spot should be there, if the commanding officer feels it needs to be done again.

The heyday of Caribbean piracy that's been glorified in the movies came to an end when the British navy finally said enough of this bullshit and dropped the hammer. The discussion on CNN with the experts is that the pirates indeed rule by threat of force and brutality; force is they only thing they understand or respond to. Nobody ever got a bully to back down by playing nice. When there's more pirate ships and pirates in the depths of the sea then on it, then this will have come to an end.

[Apple of Eris]

Blowing up pirates isn't alleviating the core root of the problem. The problem is you have a country that has broken down, with no real control at all, a poor and hungry popluace that has little hope or options other than war/crime because they have no stability.

And since you have large ships passing relatively close by, and owned by companies that have millions of dollars, and having shown that you can get millions of dollars by commiting the crime... It's a no brainer really.

It's just like the drug trade, as long as theres a chance to make a hell of a lot of money, you're going to find someone desperate or crazy enough to try it. The difference here is that you have no military/police force able to control the ports these pirates use. Till that happens, better get used to a lot of piracy based out of the horn.

[Inkidu]

Blowing up pirates isn't alleviating the core root of the problem. The problem is you have a country that has broken down, with no real control at all, a poor and hungry popluace that has little hope or options other than war/crime because they have no stability.

And since you have large ships passing relatively close by, and owned by companies that have millions of dollars, and having shown that you can get millions of dollars by commiting the crime... It's a no brainer really.

It's just like the drug trade, as long as theres a chance to make a hell of a lot of money, you're going to find someone desperate or crazy enough to try it. The difference here is that you have no military/police force able to control the ports these pirates use. Till that happens, better get used to a lot of piracy based out of the horn.

Ironically Somalia is the self-proclaimed, "Most Democratic Nation on the Planet" what they don't tell you is that it's because anyone does whatever they want whenever they want.