Posted on 04/12/2009 1:17:30 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
WASHINGTON (AP) - The American sea captain held hostage by Somali pirates was in "imminent danger" of being killed by his captors before U.S. Special Operations forces fatally shot them, a U.S. military official said.
The hostage, Richard Phillips, was not hurt in the several minutes of gunfire off the Somali coast Sunday. Phillips was safely transported to a Navy warship nearby.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
“The hostage, Richard Phillips, was not hurt in the several minutes of gunfire off the Somali coast Sunday. Phillips was safely transported to a Navy warship nearby.”
My bet is pop pop pop and three dead pirates.
Hats off to the US Navy.
Yeah how bullet proof is a lifeboat that 3 pirates can survive more than 15 seconds? I call BS. They are trying to spin it like the pirates went out in glorious martyrdom.
POP POP POP
Who cares even if he weren’t in “imminent danger”?!
I don’t care if they were sipping tea and reading the Sunday comics these terrorists got what they deserved.
“Why’d you shoot him 44 times?”
“Ran out of ammunition.”
Obviously, there's more to come on this story. Can't wait to hear it.
And the captain’s family sent him a message that they are saving a chocolate Easter Egg for him and it will be ready for him when he gets home, so long as his son doesn’t eat it first! LOL!
I’m watching the Pentagon press conference on FoxNews.
Some reporters questioned whether the captain’s life was ever in danger!
NPR sucks.
This is great news - more than one post is just fine with me.
“Yeah how bullet proof is a lifeboat that 3 pirates can survive more than 15 seconds? I call BS.”
Some initial reports have the captain jumping off the lifeboat and the seals shooting the pirates as they came to the doorway of the lifeboat to shoot at him. Too early to tell for sure what happened but it doesn’t sound like an assault on the lifeboat.
Pirates holding a guy against his will with guns in a place he doesn’t want to be???? I’d say thats danger. Maybe we ought to let those reporters get kidnapped in a similar fashion, not knowing the outcome, and then ask them if they felt it was a dangerous situation.
I note that the US Boxer was there.
I wonder when that one arrived.
That would be the only ship in the area with real SEAL capabilites and logistics.
Several minutes of gunfire my butt... what do they think it is, a Arab wedding celebration?
Spin it as they will, that phrase will always be the high point of this episode.
This doesn't sound like a sound business practice for something that has been deemed a "business model."
Are there people held by pirates who are not in imminent danger?
“Imminent danger” sounds like the Navy putting the dot on the ROE they were handed.
The San Diego based USS Boxer is the flagship of the multi nation force 151 for dealing with activities such as pirates, etc. in that area
NPR reporter at Pentagon presser on Fox: “We want to know how these pirates came to die.” “Are the Seals the ones who did the shooting?”
“...imminent danger...” What is the point of making mention of this? Is the Navy trying to “apologize” for its actions, as in, “gee, we really had to do it...didn’t want to, but just had to!” It wouldn’t surprise me at all. Leftists in the house and senate will probably demand a damned investigation into the deaths of these friggin Somali vermin.
It should be de-funded and abolished.
Let libs fend for themselves.
Oh pardon me, that’s an impossibility
LOL.
The way the spokesperson is describing things, it sounds to this civilian like our brave Navy people on the scene were rather determined this would end this way - and at some point a decision was made deliberately that indeed the danger to the Captain was there - in order to enable the end solution.
I agree with that action, but it really does sound like someone stuck their neck (way) out on the scene.
Sure glad it turned out this way. Otherwise this bunch of leftists in DC, would be looking for a scapegoat right now.
Thanks to our brave US Navy.
Wow, they stated that it was a sniper from the Bainbridge.
I know, but was not immediately at that scene.
I wonder when it arrived right there.
Live press conf on now with the DoD...
A reporterette from NBC is concerned about whether the remains of the 3 dead pirates will be returned to Somalia! Plus, she asked if the captured pirate will be turned over to the Kenyan justice system. Freudian slip???
Going from bashing good and thoughtful FReepers to thread nanny are we?
Yes, it's too early, and maybe it's not a good idea to know all of what was done -- for the sake of possible future ops. (Although I'm sure the NY Times will take care of releasing any and all sensitive info.) That said, FNC reported that the FBI was conducting its "hostage negotiations" through Phillips, telling him what to say (or maybe do?).
I couldn't even wager on it when it's NPR.
I hate them, am only listening to them today 'cause I have to, and never put anything liberally anti-American against them.
Anyone catch if the distance of the sniper shots were stated?
Should inform the rest of the muslim pirates that they dipped the bullets in pig blood before they shot the SOB’s.
“NPR sucks”
Yes, and it ought to have it’s funding yanked, the sonsofb#tches.
25-30 meters.
Well, they were dipped weren't they, for crying out loud? ; )
thread nanny? good one D.
~100’ then...
It got there on FRIDAY!
I would imagine a turkey shoot for a good sniper.
Oh shoot yeah. (Pun intended)
It surprises me that they would bring a destroyer that close, however that is above my pay scale. ; )
Bang! Bang! Three dead.
pop pop pop.. I like that tune.
that reporterette suxors!
Actually, I take that back. I am not a military guy and have never sniped anything but a squirrel ;-]
Fox is reporting it was bad weather and low light so all the credit goes to these snipers who did the hard thing. Just good we have great military people working for us.
Well, just my armchair take on things, but I think a combination of factors are responsible for the Navy spokesman issuing that exact statement.
One, the Navy (or some senior officers) may be making sure that the American public understands the reason they didn't move sooner against the pirates. These guys are loyal to the Constitution and the American people first, and just may be sending us a not-so-veiled communique, via the press.
Two, our Navy may also have stated their basic orders, so that other governments (and terrorists) also understand why they didn't move sooner. This puts them all on notice, that if allowed free reign, they have the power to decimate any force or rouge contingent of murderous criminals, anywhere.
Three, the statement could have been issued in that manner for political reasons alone. There's a possibility that the US Naval command sees that this fight isn't nearly over, and that there's a strong possibility of a coming backlash against the administration for not moving forward into Somalia to end this scourge, once and for all.
Dunno. Like I said, I'm just an armchair observer. I'm sure that military folks around here probably have a much better sense of why that statement was constructed in just that way.
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