Posted on 04/08/2009 3:42:47 PM PDT by Cindy
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"Sure the Pirates lost the American Ship, but the real problems remain"
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Click on the link above for more piracy-related information.
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http://www.icc-ccs.org/index.php?option=com_fabrik&view=table&tableid=26&calculations=0&Itemid=82
Live Piracy Report
The IMB Live Piracy Report (replacing the Weekly Piracy Report) displays all Piracy and Armed Robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre in the last ten days. Click on the map for more details.
Incident Details: Location Map
06.04.2009: 0300 LT:Posn: 01:51S – 055:25E, About 630 nm SE of Mogadishu, Somalia.
Armed pirates chased, boarded and hijacked a fishing trawler underway. Information available indicates that the fishing vessel was then used to try to hijack other fishing vessels in the vicinity. Pirates later directed the vessel towards the Somali coast.
06.04.2009: 0620 UTC: Posn 12:33N - 049:02E, Gulf of Aden.
A bulk carrier was attacked and hijacked by Somali pirates whilst underway. The ship is proceeding towards Somali coast.
06.04.2009: 1900 UTC: Posn: 15:13.47N – 067:15.1E Arabian sea.
A bulk carrier underway, detected on radar speed boats approaching from the stbd bow/port bow at a distance of 12nm. The speed boats increased speed and approached closer with a CPA of 0.01nm, master increased speed, all crew mustered, activated fire hoses, switched on all lights, sent distress signal, made evasive manoeuvres and succeeded in preventing the boarding.
04.04.2009: 0530 UTC: Posn: 02:40S – 048:03E, About 315 nm SE of Mogadishu, Somalia
Pirates attacked and hijacked a container ship underway. The pirates sailed the vessel to an undisclosed location in Somalia.
04.04.2009:0641 UTC: Posn: 09:24.52N - 058:15.42E: Off Somalia.
Six pirates in a speed boat chased a container ship underway. Master contacted the piracy reporting centre who informed the coalition forces. Pirates armed with AK47 opened fire on the vessel causing damages. Master took evasive manoeuvres which prevented the pirate boat from closing in.
02.04.2009: Posn: 05:22.6N - 056:12.3E: Somalia.
While underway, a mother vessel launched two skiffs / colour blue which chased and fired upon a container ship. Master made evasive manoeuvres and prevented the boarding.
02.04.2009: 1300 UTC: Posn: 13:51.1N – 051:14.2E, Gulf of Aden.
Two speed boats, blue and white in colour, with 3 or 4 persons onboard approached a bulk carrier underway at over 20 knots. The speed boats came as close as 0.40 nm. The Master sounded the general alarm and whistle. An Indian warship was informed. Two helicopters from Japan and India responded and the pirates aborted their attempt on sighting the helicopters.
01.04.2009: 0510 LT: Posn: 02:30.10N - 104:24.20E, 6 nm NW of Pulau Aur, Malaysia.
Five pirates with masks and armed with knives boarded a tug towing a barge underway. They stole crew cash and personal belongings and escaped.
30.03.2009:1614 LT: Posn: 09:45N - 058:50E: Off Somalia.
Pirates in speed boat chased and opened fire on a bulk carrier with guns and RPG. Ship made evasive manoeuvres which prevented the pirate boat from closing in. Later, the boat retreated and proceeded towards mother vessel which was nearby.
30.03.2009: 0045 LT: Posn: 10:42N – 106:44E: Ho Chi Minh port, Vietnam.
Six robbers in a wooden boat boarded a bulk carrier from the bow. They stole ship’s properties and escaped. Incident was reported to local authorities and police boarded vessel for investigation.
29.03.2009: 2123 LT: Posn: 11:50.2N - 044:53.3E Gulf of Aden.
Pirates in a speed boat approached and attempted to board a chemical tanker underway by using metal hooks and ropes. Alert crew prevented the boarding and informed duty officer on bridge. Vessel made evasive manoeuvres and escaped from the pirate attack.
28.03.2009: 1555 LT: Posn: 07:21.7S - 046:44.4E: 420 NM off Dar es Salaam port, Tanzania.
A high speed boat launched from a mother ship chased a container ship. The vessel increased speed and commenced made evasive manoeuvres. The speed boat came s close as 3 cables to the ship but stopped, probably due to engine problem. Ship continued passage.
28.03.2009: Approx. Posn: 09S – 047E, Off Seychelles islands / off Somalia.
A yacht with seven crew departed from Seychelles. Pirates boarded and hijacked it. On 01.04.2009 the master contacted the owners to inform that the yacht had been hijacked. The pirates are believed to be sailing the yacht to the Somali coast.
26.03.2009: 2220 LT: Lagos anchorage, Nigeria.
Ship’s crew onboard a chemical tanker at anchor noticed a boat with several persons armed with machine guns rocket propelled grenade launchers and machetes attempting to climb onboard with the use of a rope. All crew alerted and alarm raised. Upon seeing the alert crew, the robbers aborted the attempt and escaped.
24.03.2009: 1000 LT: Posn: 06:40N- 099:14E, Off Koh Tong (Tong island), Satun province, Thailand.
Three robbers armed with knives and a hammer attacked and boarded a yacht. They assaulted and killed the skipper and threw his body overboard. The skipper’s wife was also injured. The Satun marine police was notified and sent patrol boats to search for the dead body. When the police arrived at the yacht area, three men were on the life raft. The police detained all three men who were Burmese. The police said that the three Burmese suspects had earlier escaped from a fishing boat by jumping off the boat and headed to the yacht. The body of the skipper was later recovered and sent to the forensic department for further investigation.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,513258,00.html
“Clinton Seeks End to ‘Scourge of Piracy’ as U.S. Navy Races to Hijacked American Ship”
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
SNIPPET: “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Wednesday for world action to “end the scourge of piracy” as U.S. warships raced to confront pirates who hijacked a U.S.-flagged ship off the coast of Somalia.
American crew members aboard the hijacked ship were able to regain control of the vessel Wednesday, but the ship’s captain still is being held hostage on a smaller boat.
“We are deeply concerned and we are following it very closely,” Clinton said.”
ON THE INTERNET:
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The Daily Blast also briefly covered the power grid situation so let’s throw out some key words for you to click on for review:
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Yeah, the real problems remain and here’s one of them...
—
Merchant crews aren’t supposed to fight pirates, short of using high-pressure hoses to try to stop them from climbing aboard, said John F. Reinhart, president and CEO of Maersk Line Ltd.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D97EH7HG1&show_article=1
—
The crew will probably get fired now for taking control of the ship back...
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53843
Pirate Attack Foiled by Ship’s Crew, Defense Officials Say
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 8, 2009 – A ship taken by pirates off the coast of Somalia this morning is now presumed to be under the control of its crew again, Defense Department officials said.
The cargo ship Maersk Alabama was attacked by pirates early this morning and presumed hijacked, according to information provided by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. The vessel was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was assaulted about 300 miles off Somalia’s coast, officials said.
The Maersk Alabama is home-ported in Norfolk, Va., and has a crew of about 20 U.S. nationals, John Reinhart, president and CEO of the ship’s owner, Maersk Line Ltd., told reporters today.
Reinhart said his company is contacting the crew’s family members. He declined to confirm the ship’s retaking by its crew, or to release the names of crew members.
The Maersk Alabama’s crewmembers were trained to deal with pirate attacks, Reinhart said.
Pentagon officials noted there were four would-be hijackers, at least one of whom was captured by the ship’s crew.
Pirates who attack merchant ships traveling off the coast of Somalia are difficult to deter because of the large area in which they operate, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today that he didn’t want to comment on possible actions that could be taken in response to the Maersk Alabama’s apparent hijacking.
However, Whitman said the piracy issue “is not going to be something that is solved in a purely military way or in international waters.”
“This is going to have to be something that is addressed broadly by the international community,” Whitman continued, “It’s going to have to be addressed diplomatically, militarily (and) legally.”
The complexity of the piracy issue requires taking “a very broad approach to addressing it,” Whitman added.
Pirates operating off the coast of Somalia have attacked five vessels over the past week, according to news reports, not including today’s attack on the Maersk Alabama.
Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, commander of Combined Maritime Forces based in Bahrain that oversees anti-piracy efforts in the region, provided an updated advisory notice to regional merchant shipping in a news release issued yesterday.
“We synchronize the efforts of the naval forces deployed to the region,” Gortney said in the release. “However, as we have often stated, international naval forces alone will not be able to solve the problem of piracy at sea.”
Piracy “is a problem that starts ashore,” Gortney added.
And, despite the increased naval presence in the region, Gortney’s notice said, because of an area of water that’s four times the size of Texas, ships and aircraft are unlikely to be close enough to provide support to vessels under attack.
In view of the pirates’ activity, merchant mariners should be highly vigilant when traveling through Somalia’s coastal region, the release stated.
The release noted that a number of merchant vessels transiting the waters off Somalia have successfully employed evasive maneuvers and other defensive tactics to thwart attempted pirate attacks.
For example, a Panamanian-flagged vessel employed evasive maneuvers and fire hoses to thwart an attempted pirate attack, according to the release.
Biographies:
Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, USN
Rear Adm. Michelle Howard, USN
Related Sites:
U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet
U.S. Navy Second Fleet
Related Articles:
Two Dozen Nations and Maritime Security Conference Enhance Interoperability
Multinational Task Force Targets Pirates
Crews who are armed to the teeth would stop this crap, instantly!
I say we just mine their harbors for starters, drop a few very smart undersea weapons that lie in wait and then attack by sound or magnetic signatures, revive the J-boats, camouflaged vessels with superior firepower and armor rated to withstand an RPG.
Our wonderful Navy has some very nasty underwater attack devices that are often hybrids of mine/torpedoes and other interesting types of weapons.
Piracy “is a problem that starts ashore,” Gortney added
If enough pirates “failed to return to shore”, the word would get out pretty quick.
Armed crews, ready and able to use them, is the only answer. Diplomacy in Somalia is a joke. UN sanctions are a joke. Soot them right out of the water.
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THE COVERT RADIO SHOW: “The Daily Blast”
“It is Short and Sweet Folks - SOMALIA”
(April 9, 2009)
#
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/025599.php
(WALL STREET JOURNAL)
April 9, 2009
“Somali pirates double cross good faith negotiator, hold on to hostage”
#
ON THE INTERNET:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/somalia
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/somalis
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/somali
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/piracy
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pirates
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http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/jihad
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53859
Navy Crew Arrives to Assess Pirate Situation
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2009 – Pirates still hold the captain of the Maersk Alabama on the waters off Somalia, but the Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge has arrived on the scene, a Defense Department spokesman said today.
“There’s intense interest in this, and I appreciate that, but I must ask that you appreciate the fact that this is an on-going and unfolding situation,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said to reporters at the Pentagon today. “For those reasons, I will not talk in any detail of what the military aspect of this may or may not be.”
Somali pirates assaulted the American ship yesterday. They briefly took the vessel, but the 21-member crew took it back and captured one of the pirates in the process. News reports say the remaining pirates kidnapped the American captain of the ship. The American crew reportedly attempted a trade with the pirates, and the effort failed.
U.S. Navy assets have arrived in the vicinity and are assessing the situation, Whitman said. “This is something that more than the United States Defense Department is interested in working on,” he said. Stopping piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden requires interagency and international responses, he said.
Pirate attacks in the region have spiked over the last few weeks. Part of this is because the pirates are responding to pressure placed on them by Task Force 151, a U.S. 5th Fleet unit combating piracy in the region, officials said. Also, officials added, improved weather in the region has allowed pirates to operate farther off shore. The Maersk Alabama was 300 miles off the coast when the pirates boarded.
Task Force 151 operates in a 1.1-million-square-mile region. “That is part of the challenge,” Whitman said. “It is a large area and you can’t be everywhere at once.”
Previously, Whitman cited economic problems as the driving factor for Somali pirates. They live in a failed state, he explained, and piracy is a way to feed their families. While Somalia does have an al-Qaida presence, the ship hijackings do not appear to be part of the terror network, Whitman said.
Defense Department officials are in almost constant contact with officials aboard Maersk Alabama, Whitman said.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53875
Pirate Hostage’s Safe Return is Primary Concern, U.S. Officials Say
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2009 – The safe return of the American maritime captain being held captive by pirates off the coast of Somalia is of primary importance, senior U.S. officials said here today at the annual Australia-U.S. Ministerial.
Following ministerial discussions on Afghanistan, U.S. engagement in Asia and other topics, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met with reporters. They told reporters the captain’s safe return is of paramount importance and that the situation is being monitored closely.
“We obviously have a naval presence in the area and other assets and we obviously are looking at our options,” Gates said. “But, foremost in our minds is the safety of the captain.”
Clinton, Gates and Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith and Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon met with reporters after the group discussed mutual security concerns at the ministerial.
Armed pirates attacked the cargo ship Maersk Alabama yesterday. The vessel was about 300 miles off the Somali coast. The unarmed ship’s crew eventually regained control of the vessel, but the captain offered himself as a hostage to forestall violence.
The captain is now being held by four pirates in a small boat that’s adrift at sea, as the U.S. Navy monitors the situation. The Maersk Alabama is headed to Mombasa, Kenya.
Concerning piracy committed off the Horn of Africa, Clinton said the State Department has taken the lead in establishing an international maritime task force, including vessels and participation from China, South Korea and Japan, to help confront the problem.
The coastal waters off Somalia encompass “a very large expanse of water,” Clinton pointed out.
“We’ve had some success from contributions from this naval task force,” Clinton said. “But, we also understand that the instability in Somalia is a contributing factor to those who take to the seas in order to board ships, highjack them, intimidate and threaten their crews and then seek ransom.”
If there’s good news, Clinton said, it is that no one so far has lost their life as the result of the Maersk Alabama incident.
“And so, like Secretary Gates said, we are following this carefully and monitoring it,” Clinton said. “We have an American citizen who is currently being held hostage by a group of individuals in a lifeboat.
“So, we are watching this and intend to do everything we can to ensure there is no loss of life,” Clinton said.
Also today, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters that President Barack Obama is “staying appraised of the situation” involving the captive American captain and the pirates.
The president’s primary concern “is for the safety of the captain and the rest of the crew on the ship,” Gibbs said. “And he will continue to receive those updates.”
The White House has an interagency group on maritime safety, Gibbs said, that includes interagency participation by the departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, Energy, Justice and the FBI, State, Transportation, and the Defense Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
“The interagency maritime group has had a number of meetings and conference calls about this,” Gibbs said. “Obviously, the Navy and the FBI are to some degree on the scene with their resources, and so the resources of our government are deployed in ensuring the safety and security of the captain and the crew.”
Clinton, Gates, and the Australian officials also turned to other topics they’d discussed during the ministerial such as the status of their cooperative efforts in Afghanistan as part of the campaign to defeat extremism, as well as U.S. engagement in Asia.
“Australia has been there with us throughout; has been there in the thick of the fighting and has lost too many of its sons,” Gates said of that nation’s years-long participation in Afghanistan security and stability operations.
The Australian foreign minister thanked Clinton and Gates for “the very positive and constructive and substantive conversation we’ve had today.”
The 60-some-year-old Australia-U.S. security partnership “remains an indispensible part of Australia’s security, strategic and defense arrangements,” Smith said.
Like the United States, Smith said, Australia, too, is concerned about nuclear-proliferation issues with regard to Iran and North Korea.
After hearing details of Obama’s new strategy for Afghanistan, the Australian defense minister said his government is considering providing more assistance for U.S.-coalition efforts there.
“We did have, also, a very productive discussion about Afghanistan and Pakistan,” Fitzgibbon said. “Of course, the discussion today gave both Minister Smith and I a greater appreciation of the new (Obama) strategy and how it will work.
“And, we again came out of the meeting with the conclusion that this is a good strategy, it is a welcome strategy and Australia certainly supports that strategy,” Fitzgibbon said.
The United States and the Afghans “can use all the help we can get,” Gates said. “What Australia is prepared to do is clearly up to the Australians.”
Related Articles:
Navy Crew Arrives to Assess Pirate Situation
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April 09, 2009
“(Captain Phillips Hostage Situtation Update) Somali Pirates: “Please Pray For Us””
SNIPPET: “Naturally Reuters are in direct contact with the arseholes holding Captain Phillips hostage:
[...]Reached by Reuters via satellite phone, the pirates on the lifeboat sounded desperate as they watched a US warship and other foreign naval vessels close to them. “We are surrounded by warships and don’t have time to talk,” one said. “Please pray for us.”[...]
Sorry aresholes, my prayers are for the captain.”
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2225937/posts
Bush Administration Had Issued Plan for Pirates in December
The Wall Street Journal ^ | 04-09-09 | PETER SPIEGEL
Posted on April 9, 2009 4:16:51 PM PDT by GOP_Lady
WASHINGTON — In the waning days of the Bush administration, the National Security Council issued a detailed yet little-noticed plan for combating piracy off the coast of Somalia.
The 14-page blueprint, issued in December, committed the U.S. government and its military to securing the sea lanes of the Gulf of Aden — through which, the plan noted, nearly 12% of the world’s oil is transported — and laid out more than a dozen specific policy initiatives that the White House would take to make sure Somali pirates did not choke off the world’s commercial shipping.
But the vast majority of the tasks laid out in the plan either were aimed at making sure pirates never reached commercial vessels — encouraging ships to travel at night, increasing intelligence sharing, destroying vessels that appear outfitted for piracy — or ensuring that there were consequences for pirates that were ultimately caught.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2225963/posts
Al Shabaab shut down radio station in southwest Somalia
GAROWE ONLINE.com ^ | April 9, 2009, 11:35 am | n/a
Posted on April 9, 2009 4:46:44 PM PDT by Cindy
Last Updated: Apr 9, 2009 - 11:35:04 AM SOMALIA “Al Shabaab shut down radio station in southwest Somalia” 9 Apr 9, 2009 - 6:46:36 PM
SNIPPET: “BELED HAWO, Somalia Apr 9 (Garowe Online) - Islamist hardliners in Somalia have shut down an independent radio station, with the station’s owners saying they were not told why the radio was targeted, Radio Garowe reports.
The station, Maandeeq FM, is based in the town of Beled Hawo in Gedo region near the borders with Ethiopia and Kenya.
Mr. Hassan Mohamud Halane, the director of Mandeeq radio station, told reporters that the radio officials held a meeting with Al Shabaab officers in Beled Hawo town.
“Our meeting with Al Shabaab ended without success, because they refused to tell us why they shut down the [radio] station,” Mr. Halane said.”
SNIPPET: “Al Shabaab is a powerful Islamist faction that controls many regions in southern Somalia. The group has previously shut down independent HornAfrik Radio in the port city of Kismayo and Markabley radio station in Bardhere, Gedo region.
The U.S. government has placed Al Shabaab on the terror list and accuses the group of ties to Al Qaeda.”
(Excerpt) Read more at garoweonline.com ...
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46383
“Administration’s Comments on Piracy Left to State Dept. Spokesman Thursday”
Thursday, April 09, 2009
By Susan Jones, Senior Editor
(CNSNews.com) –
SNIPPET: “Wood said the current hijacking shows the importance of “working with all of our partners.” He also talked about “some mechanisms in place” and the effort “to try to develop other mechanisms to deal with the question.”
“We do not negotiate with terrorists,” Wood told a reporter, but he did not answer a question on whether pirates are terrorists. “I don’t want to talk about what we may or may not do with this particular case.”
As for the instability and chaos in Somalia, Wood said, “We’ve been trying to provide support for the transitional government there; we’ve encouraged others to do so…but this is a question for the entire international community to deal with...”
President Barack Obama on Thursday refused to answer questions about the hostage situation off the coast of Somalia.
The president was asked about the incident as he met with U.S. homeowners to discuss refinancing mortgages. At the close of the White House event, the president was asked by a reporter if he was concerned about the piracy incident.
Obama responded: “Guys, we’re talking about housing right now.”
Reporters were then ushered out of the room as they usually are after such events.”
A Look back...
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226151/posts
Somali Pirates Tied to Jihad
Intellectual Conservative ^ | April 8th, 2009 | Jim Kouri
Posted on April 9, 2009 10:59:58 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The latest crisis off the coast of Africa where Somali pirates hijacked a US flag ship is not something that suddenly materialized out of thin air. I wrote about it in 2005, in a column for NewswithViews.com. Below is the column:
In spite of the news media distancing the recent attack on a cruise ship off the coast of Somalia from global terrorism, intelligence experts believe this is just the latest operation initiated against the United States and the West by Al-Qaeda.
Recently a failed assassination attempt on the prime minister of Somalia, as well as the attempt to hijack a luxury American cruise ship, has intensified apprehension and fear that the shaky Somalian government is losing to Al-Qaeda and Wahhabi terror groups.
Three people were mortally wounded in a terrorist attack on the Prime Minister, Ali Mohamed Gedi,while he was visiting the war-torn capital of Mogadishu. He survived the deadly encounter which entailed an explosion set off near his convoy, according to security experts. Mr Gedi was merely visiting since his government is in quasi-exile in Jowhar. The danger in the Somali capital is so great that the transitional government must avoid setting up their headquarters there.
Since 2003, Somalia has witnessed the growth of a brutal network of Jihad with strong ties to Al-Qaeda. In fact, when the US forces faced a bloody battle in 1995 during what became known as the Black Hawk Down incident, it was Al-Qaeda joining with a local warlord who killed and wounded US special operations soldiers.
Somalia has been without a functioning national government for 14 years, when they received their independence from Italy. The transitional parliament created in 2004, has failed to end the devastating anarchy. The impoverish people who live in the ruined capital of Mogadishu have witnessed Al-Qaeda operatives, jihadi extremists, Ethiopian security services and Western-backed counter-terrorism agents engaged in a bloody war that few support and even fewer understand.
In an incident that gained American press attention, Somali-based terrorists armed with rocket-propelled grenades launched an unsuccessful attack on Seaborn Spirit as it rounded the Horn of Africa with American, British and Australian tourists on board. For unexplained reasons, the attack is being treated as an isolated incident and the terrorism link is being all but ignored by journalists. The term “pirates” is routinely used with only a few reporters calling the attackers “terrorists.”
The ship came under attack during the early morning hours when the heavily armed terrorists in two speedboats began firing upon the ship with grenade launchers and machine guns. They assailents were repelled by the ships crew who implemented their security measures which included setting off electronic simulators which created the illusion the ship was firing back at the terrorists..
According to passenger accounts of the attack, there were at least three rocket-propelled grenades or RPGs that hit the ship, one hit a passenger stateroom without inflicting injuries.
There are now some counterterrorism officials who wish to deploy a naval task force to try to prevent attacks, and kill or apprehend these modern-day pirates in Somali waters. Most travel advisories issued by nations throughout the world recognize this area as being among the most dangerous in the world.
There are some who oppose this combative approach fearing the opening of a new front in the war on terrorism. But these opponents of using force have no suggestions for dealing with these dangerous terrorists and thugs who prey on people on land or at sea.
During the 1990s, a group of Saudi-educated, Wahhabi militants arrived in Somalia with the aim of creating an Islamic state in this dismal African country. Also, the renowned Al-Qaeda established an operations base and training camp. They would routinely attack and ambush UN peacekeepers. In addition, they used Somalia to export their brand of terrorism into neighboring Kenya.
Leading members of Al-Qaeda continue to operate, mostly in secrecy, in Somalia and have built up cooperation with some of the warlords who control food, water and medicine. And the people of Somalia starve, mourn and die.
Thanks to Ernest at the Beach for the ping to this thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2226616/posts
“U.S. Naval Institute CEO: Hit the Pirates at Their Bases in Somalia”
U.S. Naval Institute ^ | April 10, 2009
Posted on April 10, 2009 2:27:07 PM PDT by Saint X
You wouldn’t need an armed crew. One trained guy with a .50 cal could do the job. You could sink their boats from half a mile away.
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53890
Pentagon Official Mum on Pirate Hostage Details
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 10, 2009 – A senior Pentagon spokesman today declined to provide details on the ongoing situation involving a U.S. maritime captain being held hostage by pirates in a small boat adrift off the coast of Somalia.
“There will be a point in time where we can be fully forthcoming with what the military role was and our thinking on it, and why we did what we did,” Bryan Whitman told reporters. “That time is not right now.”
The paramount concern of all agencies involved is obtaining the safe return of the hostage, Whitman said.
Armed pirates attacked the cargo ship Maersk Alabama about 300 miles off the Somali coast on April 8. The unarmed ship’s 20-member American crew eventually regained control of the vessel, but the captain offered himself as a hostage to forestall violence.
The captain and his four pirate captors continue to share a small boat that’s adrift in open sea. Whitman said there is “no information to suggest the ship’s captain has been physically harmed.”
The Navy is monitoring the situation, Whitman said, noting that at least two vessels, the destroyer USS Bainbridge and the guided-missile frigate USS Halyburton, are now in the vicinity.
“I’m not going to comment on other resources that might join in this effort, beyond the Halyburton and the Bainbridge, at this point,” Whitman said.
Related Articles:
Pirate Hostage’s Safe Return is Primary Concern, U.S. Officials Say
Navy Crew Arrives to Assess Pirate Situation
Pirate Attack Foiled by Ship’s Crew, Defense Officials Say
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2226693/posts
Somali Piracy and Pakistani Terror Plots — this blast is HOT!
COVERT RADIO SHOW: The Daily Blast ^ | April 10, 2009 | n/a
Posted on April 10, 2009 4:34:16 PM PDT by Cindy
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226700/posts
Pirates Take German Ship Towards Comrades Off Somalia
Radionz.co.nz ^ | 11 April 2009 | Staff
Posted on April 10, 2009 4:45:16 PM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
Pirates on Friday sailed a hijacked German freighter and its crew toward a lifeboat off Somalia where an American hostage is being held.
They are reportedly doing so an attempt to help their comrades in a standoff with the US Navy.
Four pirates are holding the American captain of a cargo ship, Richard Phillips, in a drifting lifeboat and demanding $US2 million for his release and a guarantee of their own safety.
They have been holding him since a foiled attempt on Wednesday to hijack the 17,000-tonne, Danish-owned Maersk Alabama in the Indian Ocean.
A destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, is close by.
Another group that hijacked a 20,000-tonne German container vessel, the Hansa Stavanger, a week ago is reportedly heading to the scene of the standoff.
I take it that’s pretty fast.
Blog:
Note: The following blog entry is a quote:
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/197203.php
April 10, 2009
Pirates Reportedly Demand Ransom After Captain Phillips Tried To Escape
This tugs on my heart strings. Damn, If only our snipers had their scopes on these arseholes heads, the standoff would have been over. This sucks testes.
A Somali negotiator said Friday pirates holding American ship captain Richard Phillips hostage want a $2 million ransom and are ready to kill Phillips if attacked.
The announcement by the unidentified Somali, who helped negotiate a ransom paid last year to pirates who seized a Ukrainian ship carrying tanks, comes the same day Phillips was recaptured after he made an escape attempt from the life boat where he is being held hostage.
The negotiator said he has spoken with a pirate leader on the ground in Somalia who is coordinating action on the lifeboat adrift in the Indian Ocean. He says the plan is to get the hostage to shore to negotiate from a better position.
Sometime overnight, captain Phillips got away for a short period, and jumped off the lifeboat in an attempt to swim away, probably managing to escape through the lifeboat’s backdoor. The drama was witnessed at some distance by the U.S. Navy, but it reportedly happened so quickly they could not provide assistance.
Defense officials said that one of the pirates fired an automatic weapon when Phillips tried to swim to safet,[sic] but it was not clear whether the pirate fired at the fleeing hostage, or into the air.
Also on Friday officials said other pirates sought to reinforce their colleagues by sailing hijacked ships with other captives aboard to the scene of the standoff.[...]
Mohamed Samaw, a resident of the pirate stronghold in Eyl, Somalia, who claims to have a “share” in a British-owned ship hijacked Monday, said four foreign ships held by pirates are heading toward the lifeboat. A total of 54 hostages are on two of the ships — citizens of China, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines, Tuvalu, Indonesia and Taiwan.
Terrorist pirates using hostages of other ships is certainly dangerous for us. Who in the hell knows how China, Russia, etc will react to save their hostages let alone Captain Phillips.
Getting Phillips to shore would be devastating, alQaeda linked al-Shabaab would undoubtedly join in.
By Stable Hand at April 10, 2009 01:02 PM
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226846/posts
Let us thank the Somali pirates
American Thinker ^ | April 11, 2009 | James Lewis
Posted on April 10, 2009 10:52:19 PM PDT by neverdem
Flashback: It’s 1979, and President Jimmy Carter is facing a hostage crisis, with American diplomats being kidnapped by Islamist “students” in Tehran. Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew our Cold War ally, the Shah of Iran, with the tacit of the Carter Administration, because it thought of the murderous Ayatollah as “some kind of saint,” in the words of former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young.
Jimmy and Zbig have been trying to explain their disastrous ignorance ever since; and because they are mentally stuck in appeasement thinking, they have infected the Obamanites with the same plague bacilli.
Flashforward to 2008, and an American merchant marine captain is being held hostage by Islamist pirates off the coast of Somalia. It’s a repeat of 1979, and the world is watching to see if Obama is going to be any more effective than Jimmy Carter was.
Obama may think this is a “distraction”. The rest of the world sees it as a test. And so, far Obama is flunking. The world will draw its own conclusions very quickly
Thank heavens for the pirates! Why? Because we must know as soon as possible if the Obamanites are as incompetent and foolish as they proudly claim to be — or whether they can summon up the guts to try to rescue the captain. We have plenty of special ops forces who are trained for hostage rescue. The West has forty years of experience in knocking over hostage takers, as Israelis did in Entebbe. But similar methods have been perfected by now, as shown most recently in Colombia, where US forces advised the Colombian government how to deal with another hostage situation.
It always comes with real risk, both to our own troops and to the hostages. And yes, Mr. Obama, we may have to knock some pirates’ heads as well.
If Obama fails to take action, watch for Russia to make a move on the Ukraine. China will get more aggressive toward Taiwan. Iran will openly throw sandals at Obama effigies, and the rest of the world will realize — uh-oh, no more cop on the international beat. North Korea will launch another missile over Japan — pahdon me, another satellite launch will somehow go astray, heading toward Hawaii.
That means one of two things: either the aggressors start winning, or somebody else has to play the international cop — the role the United States has carried for sixty years.
So who do you want to play the world’s cop?
Russia will happily volunteer do it for Europe, since Europe won’t do it for itself. China could squeeze concessions from Japan and South Korea to stop the Norks. And in the Middle East it will either be Israel — which can protect the Arab countries from nuclear attack by Iran — or it will be the mad mullahs of Qom. I would guess that the Israelis will bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, with the covert help of Arab Gulf states.
Welcome to the age of American weakness. The whole world, we were told in the last eight years, wanted to bring the US down a notch or two. Well, just be careful what you wish for.
Maybe we should thank the Somali pirates for testing Obama this early in the new administration.
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226858/posts
Pirates Bring German Ship Into US Stand-Off ( off Somali Coast)
Sky News ^ | 4:14am UK, Saturday April 11, 2009 | Sky News
Posted on April 10, 2009 11:46:29 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Pirates are moving a hijacked German freighter into position as a reinforcement in a stand-off with the US Navy over an American hostage.
The Hansa Stavanger is heading to the area in the Indian Ocean where cargo ship captain Richard Phillips was seized, a pirate source said.
The 20,000-ton ship, which was taken a week ago between Kenya and the Seychelles, has a crew of 24, of whom five are German.
Fox News correspondent Greg Palkot, who is in the Kenyan port of Mombasa, told Sky News: “What the pirates are saying they intend to do is transfer the American and the four pirates from the lifeboat onto this other boat.
“They think the Americans wouldn’t attack one or the other because they would be afraid of killing people.”
The pirates holding Phillips have demanded $2m (£1.6m) for his release and a guarantee of their own safety.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2226861/posts
“Hijacked German Vessel Heads Back to Somalia After Attempt to Reach Standoff”
Foxnews.com ^ | 04/11/09 | uncredited
Posted on April 11, 2009 12:04:40 AM PDT by Big_Monkey
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/11/ship-captain-tried-escape-pirates-adding-reinforce/
“U.S. merchant captain fails in attempt to escape”
By Sara A. Carter
Saturday, April 11, 2009
SNIPPET: “Defense Department spokesman Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder said he could not discuss details of the ongoing operations to free the hostage.
“We’re still monitoring the situation and assessing the options available to us,” Col. Ryder told The Washington Times.”
BLOG:
http://threatswatch.org/commentary/2009/04/somali-piracy-a-solution/
“Somali Piracy: A Solution
Security Aboard Ships - Not USS Sledgehammers - To Fight At Point of Pirates’ Attacks”
By Steve Schippert | April 9, 2009
SNIPPET: “Still, the piracy has long been the most widely covered news out of Somalia for Americans. And for this reason, many of them might be shocked to know that al-Qaeda’s Somali franchise al-Shabaab actually controls much of the country.”
SNIPPET: “The only tenable solution is to put the prevention at the point of risk: Aboard the vessel.
It is the only solution - sans magical liquidation of all pirates and their havens - that is fast-reacting enough or cost effective enough. (Have you ever checked the expense tab of operating a US Navy destroyer for a 24-hour period of steaming? It’s an expense only a stimulus’s mother could love.)”
ADDING to post no. 32:
ON THE INTERNET:
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/alshabaab
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/alshabab
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2227225/posts
http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/559618/-/item/0/-/ttgyc7/-/index.html
“Somali pirates ‘smell money’ as the good times return”
By REUTERS Posted Saturday, April 11 2009 at 17:51
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2227241/posts
“Obama Keeps A Weather Eye On America’s Own Piracy Problem [A National Embarrasment]”
London Times ^ | April 11, 2009
Posted on April 11, 2009 5:26:41 PM PDT by Steelfish
From The Sunday Times April 12, 2009
“Obama keeps a weather eye on America’s own piracy problem”
Sarah Baxter
SNIPPET: “The radio silence from Barack Obama over the pirate crisis is a sign of his natural caution mixed with a deepening apprehension of the perils of finding himself at sea.
“He is staying apprised of the situation,” was all Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, would say about Captain Richard Phillips, the American merchant seaman being held hostage by Somali pirates.
Obama has let his secretary of state do the talking – the same Hillary Clinton who claimed during the presidential election campaign that he was unfit to answer an emergency 3am call.”
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3700030,00.html
“Officials: FBI launches criminal piracy probe”
Published: 04.11.09, 20:12 / Israel News
SNIPPET: “US officials say the FBI has begun a criminal investigation into the Somali pirates who hijacked a US Ship and are holding its captain hostage. Two officials said the bureau’s New York office is handling the case. That office oversees investigations involving US citizens in Africa.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2227293/posts
“DFU YouTube SING-ALONG: Barack Obama Pirate Song
DFU NEWS OF THE DAY IN SONG ^ | 4-11-09 | Lyrics and Video, Doug from Upland”
Posted on 04/11/2009 6:54:29 PM PDT by doug from upland
#
VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT3ah4D-xAc
A little out of order on the date/timeline of events, but this is an important snippet to archive here.
#
http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=46422
“Pirates Summon Reinforcements Who Are Using Russian, German Hostages As Human Shields”
Friday, April 10, 2009
By Katharine Houreld and Malkhadir M. Muhumed, Associated Press
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2226923/posts?page=74#74
#
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2226923/posts
“Andrew C. McCarthy: Pirates Test the ‘Rule of Law’”
National Review Online ^ | April 10, 2009 | Andrew C. McCarthy
Posted on April 11, 2009 5:56:12 AM PDT by kellynla
Note:Photos included.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/12/french-hostage-rescue-from-somali-pirates
“Revealed: the tense moments when French commandos stormed a boat hijacked by Somali pirates”
Paul Gallagher
The Observer, Sunday 12 April 2009
Article history
SNIPPET: “A series of dramatic photographs were released by the French army last night showing the moments elite soldiers rescued members of a family held hostage for a week by Somali pirates. One of the hostages was killed during the operation.”
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2226983/posts
Pirates Hijack Second US Vessel
BBC ^ | 11 April 2009 | Staff
Posted on April 11, 2009 8:35:25 AM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
Somali pirates have hijacked a US-owned tugboat in the Gulf of Aden with 16 crew on board, reports say.
Maritime industry sources say the tug, which sails under an Italian flag, was towing two barges at the time of the attack, at 1100 local time (0800 GMT).
The crew are said to be unharmed. The US and Italian governments have not confirmed the hijacking.
Meanwhile pirates holding a US captain hostage have warned that using force to rescue him could result in “disaster”.
The pirates said they hoped to transfer Capt Richard Phillips from a lifeboat to a bigger vessel, as US and other naval ships made their way to the area.
He is being held by four pirates hundreds of kilometres off Somalia.
In other developments:
- Sailors on a Panama-flagged bulk carrier repulsed a pirate attack with water hoses. Nato officials on a nearby Portuguese warship said an unexploded rocket-propelled grenade landed in the commanding officer’s cabin
- On Friday, one Frenchman and two pirates were killed in a rescue operation by French troops on another vessel captured off Somalia. Four others, including a child, were freed from the yacht
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
ADDING 1 quote from the article as noted in post 39:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MjUxZjZhNGE1YmI0NGI3MmNmMzZkMDY0MjdmMWZmZTc=
April 10, 2009 4:00 AM
Pirates Test the ‘Rule of Law’
To be civilized, we must be strong.
By Andrew C. McCarthy
SNIPPET: “There is nothing less civilized than rewarding evil and thus guaranteeing more of it. High-minded as it is commonly made to sound, it is not civilized to appease evil, to treat it with “dignity and respect,” to rationalize its root causes, to equivocate about whether evil really is evil, and, when all else fails, to ignore it — to purge the very mention of its name — in the vain hope that it will just go away. Evil doesn’t do nuance. It finds you, it tests you, and you either fight it or you’re part of the problem.
The men who founded our country and crafted our Constitution understood this.”
“Is Barack tough enough to lead the world? Early signs are mixed”
by Michael Goodwin
Sunday, April 12th 2009, 4:00 AM
SNIPPET: “There isn’t going to be just one international test of Obama’s mettle. There will be a string of them until friend and foe alike gauge where Obama is willing to draw a line and defend it.”
SNIPPET: “Some crises will be the inevitable clash of interests, but most will be a deliberate decision to probe the uncertainty about Obama’s ultimate objectives and stomach for risk. It’s an uncertainty Obama has helped to foster.”
SNIPPET: “I’m not sure Obama himself knows what he will do. His non-answer to the question of whether he believes in American Exceptionalism reveals an unformed mind on the fundamental issue.”
ha! Cabin Boy indeed!
Great pic, Phil.
** “Is Barack tough enough to lead the world? Early signs are mixed” **
Not mixed. The short answer is NO. He cares NOT for
traditional American values.
He’s doing his best to hide who he really is. And lately,
he’s not doing as good a job as he did in the campaign.
His decisions and his indecision are giving us clues.
His first 82 days have really shown me plenty that I DON’T
like. Can’t think of a single thing offhand that I do like.
Gonna be a long four years to get to the end of Cahtah’s
second term here ...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,514719,00.html
“Ship Captain Rescued From Somali Pirates”
Sunday, April 12, 2009
SNIPPET: “American sea Captain Richard Phillips was safely rescued Sunday from four Somali pirates, who had been holding him for days in a lifeboat off the coast of Africa, a U.S. intelligence official said.
Three of the pirates were killed and one was in custody after what appeared to be a swift firefight off the Somali coast, the official said.
Initial reports indicate Phillips jumped overboard for a second time and the military was able to take advantage of the situation.
Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vt., was transported to the USS Bainbridge nearby. He is resting comfortably after a checkup, the Navy said.”
For archival purposes:
Blog:
http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/197212.php
April 11, 2009
“Video: Somali Pirates Home Video”
http://www.covertradioshow.com
#
http://covertradioshow.com/podcast.cfm?pid=170
Covert Radio Daily Blast Easter Sunday 4/12
“This is a Special Daily Blast-Rescue off Somalia.”
http://www.makingsenseofjihad.com/2009/04/somalia-then-and-now.html
#
http://osint.internet-haganah.com/archives/001573.html
April 05, 2009
“THE AFRICAN ADVANTAGE”
SNIPPET: “Marisa at Making Sense of Jihad dug something out of her archives.”
SNIPPET: “6 Western interests use Africa’s “maritime routes” to transfer weapons and equipment” and “use these routes to shift oil to the rest of the world. Targeting these routes will be fatal for the Crusaders…””
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=53899
Obama Praises U.S. Military Rescue of Maersk-Alabama Captain
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 12, 2009 – President Barack Obama praised the U.S. military’s rescue of the kidnapped captain of the Maersk-Alabama cargo ship on the waters off the coast of Somalia today.
Capt. Richard Phillips, right, master of the cargo ship Maersk-Alabama, who had been captured by pirates, stands alongside U.S. Navy Cmdr. Frank Castellano, commanding officer of USS Bainbridge after being rescued by U.S Naval Forces off the coast of Somalia. Philips was held hostage for four days by the pirates. U.S. Navy photo
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
U.S. naval forces freed Capt. Richard Phillips five days after Somali pirates took him hostage.
“I am very pleased that Captain Phillips has been rescued and is safely on board the USS Boxer,” Obama said in a White House statement. “His safety has been our principal concern, and I know this is a welcome relief to his family and his crew.
“I am also very proud of the efforts of the US military and many other departments and agencies who worked tirelessly to secure Captain Phillips’ safe recovery,” he said. “I share the country’s admiration for the bravery of captain Phillips and his selfless concern for his crew. His courage is a model for all Americans.”
Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, comended those involved in the rescue.
“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 U.S. Navy release. Gortney said Phillips’ actions, and those of the Maersk-Alabama crew, were heroic.
“They fought back to regain control of their ship, and Captain Phillips selflessly put his life in the hands of these armed criminals in order to protect his crew,” he said.
Following the rescue, Phillips was taken aboard the USS Bainbridge before being flown to the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, where he contacted his family, received a routine medical evaluation, and is resting comfortably, according to a U.S. Navy statement.
Three pirates were killed during the rescue operation, and U.S. military forces have one pirate in custody, the statement said.
Related Sites:
The White House
U.S. Navy 5th Fleet
Related Articles:
Pentagon Official Mum on Pirate Hostage Details
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