Posted on 12/16/2008 3:21:25 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
On the same day Somali gunmen seized two more ships, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize nations to conduct land and air attacks on pirate bases on the coast of the Horn of Africa country.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was on hand to push through the resolution, one of President George W. Bush's last major foreign policy initiatives.
Rice said the resolution will have a significant impact, especially since "pirates are adapting to the naval presence in the Gulf of Aden by traveling further" into sea lanes not guarded by warships sent by the U.S. and other countries.
The council authorized nations to use "all necessary measures that are appropriate in Somalia" to stop anyone using Somali territory to plan or carry out piracy in the nearby waters. The gulf is traversed each year by thousands of cargo ships sailing between Asia and the Suez Canal.
The resolution allows action in Somali airspace, even though the U.S. appeased Indonesia, a council member, by removing direct mention of it, U.S. officials said.
Somalia Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Jama, whose government asked for the help, said he was "heartened" by the council action. "These acts of piracy are categorically unacceptable and should be put to an end," he said.
The resolution sets up the possibility of increased American military action in Somalia, a chaotic country where a U.S. peacekeeping mission in 1992-93 ended with a humiliating withdrawal of troops after a deadly clash in Mogadishu, as portrayed in the movie "Black Hawk Down."
The commander of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet expressed doubt last week about the wisdom of staging ground attacks on Somali pirates. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney told reporters it is difficult to identify pirates and said the potential for killing innocent civilians "cannot be overestimated."
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
Uh, what about at sea?
Note: Explore this site for piracy alerts, live map, and other valuable information.
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Note: The following text is a quote:
Weekly Piracy Report
9 December - 15 December 2008
Suspicious crafts
None reported
Recently reported incidents
13.12.2008:1145 UTC: Posn: 13:43N – 048:17E: Gulf of Aden.
One wooden speed boat with 5 - 6 persons armed with automatic weapons and RPG chased and opened fire on a container ship underway. Pirates attempted to board with a ladder. Master took evasive manoeuvres and contacted coalition warships for assistance. A naval helicopter arrived at location. One seeing the helicopter the skiff aborted the attack.
12.12.2008: 1125 LT: Posn: 13:31N – 048:39E: Gulf of Aden.
One pirate boat with seven armed men chased a tanker underway. Pirates were seen carrying automatic weapons, RPG and a wooden ladder for boarding. Later, the boat aborted the chase and headed towards another vessel nearby. A navy helicopter arrived at location.
Description of the speed boat : Wooden construction, 8 – 10 meters in length, blue coloured hull, raised bow, speed about 17 knots.
12.12.2008: 1212 LT: Posn: 13:32.7N – 048:37.5E, Gulf of Aden.
Eight pirates armed with machine guns and RPG in a blue coloured speed boat doing 17 knots attacked a general cargo ship underway. They fired upon the ship with machine guns and attempted to board the ship, twice, using a ladder. Crew managed to detach the ladder even though the pirates were firing at the ship. Pirates aborted the attempted attack and tried to attack other vessels in the vicinity. Coalition forces were informed.
11.12.2008: 0142 LT: Posn: 22:15N - 091:44E: Chittagong ‘A’ anchorage, Bangladesh.
Six robbers armed with knives boarded a tanker at anchor. Alarm raised and crew mustered. Coast guard boarded for investigation. Ship’s stores stolen from bosun store.
Anyone know if the pirates have recognizable “bases” and clear aerial targets? It should not be difficult for us to obliterate distinct targets if there are docking areas known to be controlled by pirate groups etc..... the tough part will be if they simply fade into the population and ordinary facilities, as so many terrorists love to do.
Excuse me, but haven’t nations alway possessed that right?
Simple, put a carrier in the area, even a marine carrier. Fly a regular rotation of UAV’s with hellfire missiles up and down the coast, if you see anything that floats you blast it.
They do. There are a few villages along the Somali coast that have served as bases. One of them was attacked by the USN within the last couple of years.
Bump
I hope we don’t face a real crisis like a 9-11 sized attack on the US and have to wait around for the UN to approve defending ourselves. Those pirates could have been blasted under the common laws of the sea and only India had the moxie to fight them.
Two out of three ain't bad. :<(
Thank you Jet Jaguar.
/
the tough part will be if they simply fade into the population and ordinary facilities, as so many terrorists love to do.
I suspect that is the case. The pirates I was familiar with in SE Asia were merely fishermen taking advantage of targets of opportunity to rob, rape and murder. They would return to their fishing villages with their booty after committing their piracy. I suppose today they are back to working as fishermen.
The U.N. once again trying to usurp authority by default.
My thought exactly. The UN is giving nations the right of self defense now? Sounds like they may be just a little full of themselves.
“From the Halls of Montezuma
To the floor of the U.N.
We will fight our country’s battles
When the socialists say we can...”
Seriously, Jefferson is rolling in his grave. We didn’t need no stinkin’ UN resolution to beat the Dey of Algiers like a rug when he earnestly deserved it. Quite the contrary: Jefferson went it alone precisely because the timid hankie-flutterers of Europe would not fight back against the Barbaries.
We should reactivate some Iowa class battleships and park them off the coast of Somalia. We have lots of ammunition that's already paid for.
One more thing. I blame George H.W. Bush for setting the precedent in Gulf War I that leads people to believe today that we can only stand up for ourselves when given a permission slip by the whimpering, simpering toadies of Turtle Bay.
Ping.
This crap wouldn’t be that hard to stop, a couple men with RPG’s of their own on each ship. One rpg should take care of a few guys on a small boat, how long would it take the pirates to figure out they were on a suicide mission.
It is a standard point of international law that any nation has the right to act against pirates on the high seas by any means necessary. The matter at hand was authorizing what is in theory the invasion of a sovereign country (not that that national government of Somalia’s writ runs much further than a few neighborhoods of Mogadishu) to suppress piracy.
No ship successfully leaves the Somalian coast for a generation. Word will get around.
In the case of wooden fishing vessels, would it be too hard to nail them to the deck if captured?
What authority?
The U.N. has spoken, knaves...
Screw the U.N..
The coastline harbors and strongholds of these Muslim pirates should have been destroyed years ago....
Thanks 2ndDivisionVet.
What about in space?
OK, I'll play. In such matters, who cares what the UN has to say?
“Anyone know if the pirates have recognizable “bases” and clear aerial targets?”
If you Google Earth and take a look at Harardhere, Somalia the scope of the problem will be evident. The Pirates live in towns amongst the local inhabitants.
Oh yes it can....
I doubt there are any "innocents" in the proximity of pirates.....and if there are, I doubt they're worth the cost of not killing the guilty.
If we aren't capable of killing these bastards and all who stand with them - then we should cover our eyes and surrender to them...
“in SE Asia were merely fishermen taking advantage of targets of opportunity to rob, rape and murder.”
We share similar experiences. I did geo survey work from the Straights of Malacca to the Flores Sea back in the 70s. A little more than “merely fishermen” tho - in my experience they were fishermen but armed to the teeth fishermen.
This is a simple task. Fly over Somali with a gun ship. Any houses you see that are substantial strafe or bomb. Those would be the pirates.
Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but it seems the UN gave permission for other nations to attack the pirates in Somali, which is a sovereign nation in the loosest of terms which makes it an offensive position rather than a defensive position.
Nobody would bitch about the US defending itself if Narco gangs started attacking US cities from Mexico, it would be a whole different story it we crossed Mexican border to take them out
U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize nations to conduct land and air attacks on pirate bases on the coast of the Horn of Africa country.
“Since when did nations need U.N. authorization to resist or kill pirates on the high seas?”
When the LOST treaty is ratified the UN will own the seas and everything over, through or on it.
You are apparently clueless when it comes to the people of this nation. Bush has had the enemies of freedom arraigned against him even when acting WITH UN approval. Why don’t you confine your attacks on this nation’s REAL enemies instead of joining the Left in attacking the President?
Nobody would bitch about the US defending itself if Narco gangs started attacking US cities from Mexico, it would be a whole different story it we crossed Mexican border to take them out
Perhaps you should read about how the US kicked the Barbary pirates' asses when no other country was willing to do so. Piracy was made a crime of universal jurisdiction, so any country could capture, try, and execute pirates regardless of whether they could be tied to particular acts of piracy against a particular nation's citizens and property.
Yeah, Jefferson was the man, but times have changed a tad since he approved sending our young navy to kick some pirate ass 200 years ago.
The point was very simply, the UN seems to have given permission for countries to enter into Somali territory, which is a semi sovereign country to hunt pirates.
Very unlike UN behavior.
Just my opinion of course.
Absolutley.
Bring a couple out of mothballs — give them nuclear powerplants, missiles and new ammunition for their big guns.
Well Blackjack Pershing did a fine job of invading Mexico when it wasn't capable of controlling its border with the US back in the 1910's. He also knew how to handle Muslims.
No need to replace the power plants or make new ammunition. There are thousands of tons 16" ammunition in storage.
And a nuclear power plant would mean unlimited cruising and free up the fuel bunkers for other uses.
But mostly I'm just a foolish civilian with an overactive imagination.
Yes, taverns with a nautical theme, frequented by peglegged
guys with talking parrots.
Somalia wants the help but Indonesia - Indonesia? - has a problem with that??? Oh yeah, the Amish.
AH, love the Iowa class BBs.......
Toured the USS New Jersey last year on a trip up the east coast..... also visited the USS Massachusetts (from an earlier class of BBs but still an impressive ship with 16” guns of its own).
Too bad we had to name great ships after such corrupt “blue” states (but they weren’t such bad states 60+ years ago, perhaps). Anyway, I suppose we have to keep the “blue” states and cities in the mix if we hope to maintain any support for future programs. :^)
Well, that’s certainly one way to approach a dock in the absence of tugs.
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