A senior US official tells me that President Barack Obama approved a recommendation by Defense Secretary Bob Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen to dispatch special forces to the US scene on Friday.
These special forces were authorized to take action “in extremis” against the Somali pirates holding Maersk Captain Richard Phillips, 53, hostage on a motorized lifeboat off the coast of Somalia.
A senior official tells me that when the fourth Somali pirate was on the Bainbridge ship, Phillips moved to side of the lifeboat to relieve himself.
At that point, U.S. special forces saw their opportunity and took other three pirates out.
Let’s hope this serves as a deterrent.
It is 3AM indeed. And Obama passed the test with flying colors. The Somali pirates that so many here are quick to defend have gotten the word,”Don’t tread on me”. Attacking a US flag vessel and imprisoning US citizens have consequences.
I’d like to civilian medal for Captain Philips. He is obviously a man who understands the duties and obligations of his position and not just the perquisites. He has acted in the highest tradition of mariners.
“The Godfather” where Clemenza gets out of the car to take a leak and Paulie gets it in the back of the head.
“Leave the gun, take the canoles.”
“Oh da Somalis, you won’t see dem no more.”
They’ll be back. Maybe they’ll be more discriminating in their targets next time, though.
They’ll be back. But if all countries made it clear that ransom will not be paid and violence will be met with violence I bet these guys would lose their enthusiasm for that line of work.
exactly. Ransom cannot be paid and the whole line of work has to be less safe than robbing banks.
They’re pretty pissed, with their fishing livelihoods being poached and their water being poisoned. For years.
What’ve they got to lose?
Their lives and the lives of loved ones nearby.
to toxic waste and starvation. What ELSE have they got to lose?
Quite a few people on left blogs seem to be rationalizing away the actions of these pirates. The pirates claim this is all about illegal fishing and dumping, yet they target other ships for money. Sorry, I’m not buying.
“PIRACY ESCALATION
Piracy is lucrative business in Somalia, where gangs have earned millions of dollars in ransoms, splashing it on wives, houses, cars and fancy goods.
After a wane in business early this year, pirates have struck back. They presently hold more than a dozen vessels with about 260 hostages, of whom about 100 are Filipino.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSLC343356
That’s why the call it the left. We have our own pathologies, including the bizarre concept that America is to blame for piracy in the Gulf of Aden and deserves to have its people kidnapped and held for ransom.
Well, two years ago, I would have classified myself as “on the left” with doubts. But after the disgraceful primary season where Hillary Clinton became the Hero of Labor, the wimpy inactive “prove it to me” general, and the poutrage post election, I’d be embarrassed to be called a “leftist”.
reading comments here about somalian pirates, I am struck by a number of assumptions.
honestly, I don’t think the US is in any position to lecture other countries about participating in extra-legal activities. that ship sailed a LONG time ago.
that said, i also believe in blowing up pirates.
I didn’t see Obama making any lectures. He just made the right decisions to save an American citizen who had done nothing provocative and was being held captive at gunpoint in a freaking-out-of-gas-motorboat in the middle of the damn ocean. Of course, Obama could have thrown the kidnappers a ringer full of his dirty underwear instead- the whites.
i wasn’t referring to Obama. I think he did the right thing and said so. what part of “i believe in blowing up pirates” did you miss?
i was referring to comments bemoaning the horrible somalian pirates, kidnapping people. we’re no better, but we call it rendition. and we don’t accept ransom either, not even when our detainees are demonstrably innocent.
As long as you aren’t using this moral equivalency argument to question our right to blow up pirates that kidnap our citizens then I find it nothing worse than tiresome.
I’m not questioning our right to blow up pirates.
I’m stating that, thanks to the past 8 years, our credibility, when it comes to pointing out the crimes of other nations, is nonexistent.
I’m sorry if that’s tiresome, but it’s also true.
that whole argument about how the pirates are just protecting their coast against illegal dumping by stealing boats far from the coast that are carrying grain or oil strikes me as missing more than a few links.
but what have they got to fall back on? And what “national pride” do they earn, in the form of praise from other Somalis, when they successfully capture victims from other cultures?
Locally, they’re rock stars, in a losing reality show.
yeah. But sympathizing with the desperate situation of Somalia is not the same as fantasizing that a bunch of pirates are robin hoods.
to conflate the two. And there’s not much organized government, local or national, that can stand up and correct any misconceptions.
any coastal defense, that function needs to be replaced when the pirates are removed.
And replaced with a force that safeguards Somalian resources, at least making some headway toward evening out the balance, since right now, they’re losing $300,000,000 a year in fish harvesting to poachers.
I believe it was a good call by the US. The Somalis were give an opportunity for a peaceful resolution, which they refused.
With all the ship hijacking, wouldn’t it be cheaper to just mine the Somali coast line than to pay a ransom?
Yeah because the waters are already polluted & there`s no fish left.
Mines, that`s the ticket.
And in December of 2008, Spiegel reports that Somalia’s coast has “among the highest concentrations of fish in the world’s oceans.”
That said, the article goes on to suggest the pirates are capitalizing on the grief. Whole lot of chaos and anarchy in that country.
No one deserves to be kidnapped & held for ransom.
I find it strange to believe that anyone might have thought that.
On the other hand, I`m sure that some people believe that resorting to this is the only escape from starvation. Judging by the fact that the one chosen to be the negotiator for the other pirates is 16 years old, & that relatively few hostages have been hurt in the past, I most certainly hope that the amazing actions by the rescuers in an almost impossible situation, does not escalate into more violence by the pirates, & leads to a way to help the people carrying the piracies out, who are basically disposable pawns in a much more organized criminal consortium that spans the globe.
The solution is land based & solvable, but these acts will not soon stop, I`m afraid.
Having been at sea for some time on relatively large vessels, the actions of the SEALs or Special Ops is one of the most impressive, daring, well coordinated & successful mission I`ve heard of. A very good day indeed, apart from the pirates & the families they supported.
Nice “excuse-making”, KH. After all, when something American is attacked, we must only strike back, never endeavor to understand what might be motivating those who do the attacking. After all, that might lead us to realize what must be done to stop the attacks, and that would spoil the fun of having our troops commit some violence.
“I most certainly hope that the amazing actions by the rescuers in an almost impossible situation, does not escalate into more violence by the pirates“
Apparently it has already escalated into more potential violence by the United States.
Hurria,
I was most assuredly not making excuses for any thing.
The Somalis are in a situation through not fault of the individuals involved. I do think that the mission undertaken was an extremely difficult one & succeeded in freeing a captive, not because he was an American, but because he was human. I also deplore as I mentioned the young men killed & the suffering of their families.
I mention the mission not because it was an American one, but because of the extreme conditions that could have led to even more death today. As for tomorrow I fear that this action will escalate into more violence especially since in the past, violence towards any hostages was kept to a minimum considering the volatile nature of such actions.
I completely comprehend the plight of the “pirates”, & the underlying reasons for their hopelessness.
I have never wavered in my ideology which I believe you know. If there is something that leads you to believe differently, please explain.
As for mentioning spoiling the fun of having OUR troops commit violence, that is unacceptable in a comment directed to me.
Disclosure; they could never be “my” troops. I am not an American.
Please elaborate, I find that a hurtfull comment.
OT, I sent you mail yesterday.
Hurria,
I should have invited you to check any & all comments I have ever made on any blog & you`ll notice that I never ever advocated violence towards any human ever.
I have always stood behind any & all underdogs, disregarding any potential backlash to myself by anyone, anywhere.
This situation ended in an excellent manner. 3 dead pirates, one which will be imprisoned for life.
An ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT outcome. Could NOT be better.
The continued feckless, roll-over of the international shipping community has had the ENTIRELY PREDICTABLE outcome of producing more pirates. A few cases like this will remind the pirates that there’s a downside.
A few minutes contemplating the history of Julius Ceasar would be instructive. He was captured and held by pirates for ransom. After the ransom, he returned, and killed all the pirates. While I am not an admirer of Ceasar, I certainly think that outcome is sensible and justified.
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/what-international-media-isnt-telling
There seems to be some truth in this post.
Yeah, it makes sense kind of like complaining that the people that are poisoning your wells and crops are stealing your water and food.
with secret caches of toxic debris that the next Katrina dumps up on Houston, after central authority has broken down. Then send in fishermen from other countries, snagging all the tuna and red snapper.
Wouldn’t some good old boys w/ guns and boats go on some seaborne rampages, to the acclaim of their Gulf peers?
After you dump toxic waste in the water, no one wants the fish. These pirates are not interested in interdicting trawlers in their waters. They are hijacking luxury cruisers, cargo ships, and other high value ships that are operating in international waters.
wouldn’t stop me from fishing off Florida. (coastline length)
They’re angry about poachers, and the slippery eel slope thereafter leads to targeting anyone close enough + appears rich.
They’re in over their heads, attacking American ships, to be sure.
Uh huh. That’s why instead of attacking the boats doing the alleged illegal fishing and dumping, they are seizing ships and hostages in return for money.
What a crock of *hit.
“PIRACY ESCALATION
Piracy is lucrative business in Somalia, where gangs have earned millions of dollars in ransoms, splashing it on wives, houses, cars and fancy goods.
After a wane in business early this year, pirates have struck back. They presently hold more than a dozen vessels with about 260 hostages, of whom about 100 are Filipino.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSLC343356
There may be some truth to fishing in their waters hurting their economy. However, if dumping of toxic wastes harms humans on the Somalian shores what is in the fish and would the fish be safe?
Oh what a web has been woven in this world.
Dumping and fishing not in the same areas. And the Somalis are losing, 3x to 1x:
I think folks are missing some the chronology.
The dumping and illegal fishing go back to 1991 and the collapse of the government.
The Volunteer Coastal Defense Force was put together by warlords once the problem became more obvious and acute when a tsunami washed ashore barrels.
Their mission then was to patrol and chase away dumpers and trawlers. As with most things in a lawless land things morphed. Some patrols saw the opportunity to freelance and went after other ships for huge profit.
In general, Somalis didn’t see the harm because many of those other ships flew the same flags as the dumpers and trawlers. Indeed the dumping was probably done by some of those freighters. As such, the warlords didn’t see much harm in adding to the general fund via some ransoms.
At this point it has turned to greed and payback. This no longer has much to do with stopping dumping and fishing though it has to deter that also.
What is clear is that while it is highly remote, especially without a functioning government in Somalia, it would be key that the developed nations go after the people who are dumping (likely Mafia or such) and take actions (our own patrols?) to stem illegal fishing. Those patrols would also deter further highjackings.
I agree with you, there is much more going on than what is reported in the media:
Johann Hari: You are being lied to about pirates – Johann Hari, Commentators – The Independent
“3 hour tour” type of jaunt by the crew of the Maersk Alabama, but is t even the least bit strange that the pirates picked such a VERY bad American ship to target?
Our national interests might be somewhat heavily weighted in favor of protecting Maersk resources, even if nothing military was going on on the Maersk Alabama when it was attacked.
Are defense contractors (even if not on contract “at the time”) the majority of American ships in the area?
C’mon.. I’m not sure the need, other than the desperate need for good news while our economy swirls around the drain, for all of the crowing and behaving as if Obama is Superman.
this was all fairly routine; three guys with pistols or automatic weapons are no match for the largest and most expensive military in the world. I was confident this would all be over hours after the arrival of our military. 1-2-3 shots with the sniper rifles and it was all over.
as far as the “3:00am” call, I’m wayyyy more concerned about the call coming: “Mr. President, al Qaeda appears to be in control of some nukes in Pakistan”.