Captain Richard Phillips
The Associated Press reports that President Barack Obama twice authorized the use of military force to rescue Captain Richard Phillips while being held by Somali pirates.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iqznz3bUMKIUbrDYAUHHuMQ4vyJAD97H6E300
From Fox News:
After staying mum for days regarding the hostage situation off the coast of Somalia, President Obama used Captain Richard Phillips’ release today as an opportunity to make his first public comments about the situation, calling the Captain’s courage “a model for all Americans.”
Captain Richard Phillips had been held hostage since Wednesday when his cargo vessel carrying humanitarian aid to Africa, the Maersk Alabama, was attacked by Somali pirates. Captain Phillips and his crew were able to prevent the ship’s takeover but in order to ensure the safety and escape of his crew; Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates. In his statement, Mr. Obama said “I share the country’s admiration for the bravery of Captain Phillips and his selfless concern for his crew.”
http://whitehouse.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/04/12/president-breaks-silence-on-captain-phillips/
BBC News reports:
US officials have been giving details about how Captain Richard Phillips was freed, in an operation which left three of the pirates who seized him dead.
US Navy spokesman Vice-Adm William Gortney said the pirates were shot because Capt Phillips' life appeared in "imminent danger".
Snipers on a nearby US warship observed a pirate was pointing a gun at the captain's back, and decided to fire.
Capt Phillips was not hurt in the gunfire which killed the pirates.
At the time of the operations, a fourth pirate was on board the warship, the USS Bainbridge, which was tracking the lifeboat in which the captain was being held. He was taken into military custody.
Tied up
Capt Phillips had been held hostage in the lifeboat since Wednesday, when pirates attacked his ship, the Maersk Alabama.
He had agreed to become a hostage so that his crew could go free, the crew said.
US officials said he had been kept tied up in the lifeboat.
Negotiations involving Somali elders had been going on throughout Sunday to secure the captain's release, and one of the pirates was taking part in the talks on board the USS Bainbridge.
Vice-Adm Gortney said the pirates were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and small-calibre pistols.
US President Barack Obama had given clear orders to shoot if Capt Phillips' life was in danger, he said.
Snipers determined that one of the pirates had trained an AK-47 on the captain and seemed about to fire, Vice-Adm Gortney added.
But he was unable to confirm media reports that the pirates were threatening Capt Phillips because he was trying to escape and had jumped out of the boat.
The snipers fired on the pirates for several minutes. Capt Phillips was unhurt despite being just a few metres away from his captors during the shooting.
He was then taken on board the Bainbridge, and later moved to the USS Boxer where he underwent a medical examination.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7996213.stm
The actions of the U.S. Navy today should put to rest any doubts about President Obama's willingness to use military force as Commander-in-chief.
3 comments:
It is instructive that the president left the operation in the hands of the professionals on the spot. Which administration was it that thought they knew more than their military again?
Now its time for the governments of the free world to give the current Somali government the military aid it needs to deal with the Somali gang lords and Muslim terrorist and the infrastructure aid to help the Somali people to help themselves.
http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/
Good for President Obama, authorising the sniper attack against the pirates. He should consider that withdrawal from Iraq, welcome though that is, is not enough if it is merely to transfer the forces to Afghanistan. The real threats are elsewhere. In fact, at least for now or anything like the foreseeable future, the real threat based in Somalia is precisely not the Islamists, but the Islamists’ enemies.
However, there is now talk of “dialogue”. About what? The pirates are plainly and simply that: robbers on the high seas. Their only demands are ransom demands. Their activities are no more or less than the outworking of human wickedness in general and human greed in particular.
Such are the real threats.
As always recognised by the people who got there first on this one.
The French were absolutely right to send in their Special Forces against the Somali pirates. Yes, one of their own citizens died. But the rest did not. Whereas the Somali pirates did.
The French Special Forces were available for this sort of work, the work for which, like ours and yours, they are trained and paid. But ours (as, at the time the French went in, yours) are not available. We all know why not.
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