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BAGHDAD - The suspected leader of an al-Qaida-linked militant network was captured Thursday by Iraqi military forces.Abu Omar al-Baghdadi has been a key target for U.S. and Iraqi forces for years as the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group of Sunni militant factions that is believed dominated by al-Qaida in Iraq.

U.S. President Barack Obama says he is determined to halt piracy in the shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia. Mr. Obama spoke one day after the dramatic rescue of an American cargo ship captain who had been held hostage by the pirates since last week. President Barack Obama (left), with Vice President Joe Biden, says the U.S. will seek to halt the increasing threat of piracy off the Horn of Africa, 13 Apr 2009 President Barack Obama (left), with Vice President Joe Biden, says the U.S. will seek to halt the increasing threat of piracy off the Horn of...

Floppingaces has been reporting on the problem of Somali Piracy for well over a year now. Most of those reports have originated from Bill Roggio’s The Long War Journal. Finally, the mainstream media can no longer ignore the problem, and it’s “suddenly” in the news…well, it ain’t news to our readers. They’ve seen this problem go unaddressed for a long time.They’ve seen Somali pirates seize ships carrying hazardous materials-materials so toxic that entire villages were wiped out and the UN suspected WMD! Our readers have read about ships carrying a dozen Soviet-built main battle tanks seized by Somali pirates. They’ve...

Defense Department officials said the American sea captain held by Somali pirates made a desperate escape attempt but was recaptured, escalating a dramatic Indian Ocean standoff.

Vice President Biden said the White House has been working “around the clock” on the piracy situation off the Somali coast. “We’re not going to settle that here,” Biden acknowledged when asked after a photo-op on the stimulus plan what the U.S. is doing about the pirates. “I think what you should do is contact Jim Jones and the White House,” Biden suggested, even as an aide tried to discourage him from answering the question and usher pool out of the room. “This is being worked on around the clock since this happened. I’m not in a position right now”...

WASHINGTON, April 9 (Reuters) - [snip] Obama was asked to comment on the situation several times by reporters at a White House event on refinancing for homeowners. Obama, however, stuck closely to the script and replied that he wanted to remain focused on housing.

The U.S. is closing in on pirates that hijacked a U.S.-flagged ship off the coast of Somalia. According to a spokesman for the owner of the Maersk Alabama, which had been hijacked by pirates before American crew members were able to regain control of the vessel Wednesday, a U.S. Navy warship arrived at the scene Wednesday night. The ship's captain still is being held hostage on a smaller boat. Family members said Capt. Richard Phillips surrendered himself to the pirates to secure the safety of the crew. "What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage," said Gina...

Breaking. Per CBS radio news.. the crew has regained control of the ship throwing three pirates overboard and capturing one.. Will post more.. Breaking