Posted on 04/12/2009 11:00:01 AM PDT by bimboeruption
MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) - An American ship captain was freed unharmed Sunday in a U.S. Navy operation that killed three of the four Somali pirates who had been holding him for days in a lifeboat off the coast of Africa, a senior U.S. intelligence official said. One of the pirates was wounded and in custody after a swift firefight, the official said.
Capt. Richard Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, was safely transported to a Navy warship nearby.
The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
A government official and others in Somali with knowledge of the situation had reported hours earlier that negotiations for Phillips' release had broken down.
The district commissioner of the central Mudug region said talks went on all day Saturday, with clan elders from his area talking by satellite telephone and through a translator with Americans, but collapsed late Saturday night.
"The negotiations between the elders and American officials have broken down. The reason is American officials wanted to arrest the pirates in Puntland and elders refused the arrest of the pirates," said the commissioner, Abdi Aziz Aw Yusuf. He said he organized initial contacts between the elders and the Americans.
Two other Somalis, one involved in the negotiations and another in contact with the pirates, also said the talks collapsed because of the U.S. insistence that the pirates be arrested and brought to justice.
Phillips' crew of 19 American sailors reached safe harbor in Kenya's northeast port of Mombasa on Saturday night under guard of U.S. Navy Seals, exhilarated by their freedom but mourning the absence of Phillips.
Crew members said their ordeal had begun with the Somali pirates hauling themselves up from a small boat bobbing on the surface of the Indian Ocean far below.
(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...
Exactly, this response took way too long. And I don’t want this Somali in our country for trial, given our rights and protections and then have him released to live among us.
Saw a training video not long ago, and it looks like the FBI prefers to hire college kids and gay types. I kid you not.
NOW, swoop in and take about 100 of the somali ships, out of circulation.
With the appropriate translator available, of course.
USA!!!
Gosh, I hope that the guy was properly Mirandized...
/s
He compared Capt. Phillips to the Good Shepherd.
Wow! How refreshing to know that there are still people in Mass. who believe in Jesus Christ!
OBAMA SPOTLIGHT TIME!!
Go Navy Seals!
Our Navy took decisive action while that cheese-eating surrender monkey in the White House partied on.
Go Navy!
I’m already very weary of this spectator-guy at the mariners academy.....but he’s gonna get his facetime on the tube, I see....
Here they are (lower part of image at shoreline):
You're killing me, and our Navy SEALS killed (3) of the thugs. I'm actually glad one was only wounded and hope he survives - think intel. Thanks for the laugh.
Let’s hope that they don’t reveal the tactical details.
The Seals may need to use them again..and the wounded pirate probably doesn’t have the faintest idea what hit him.
Sounds like that what the representative for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy who was just on Fox is advocating!
Amen! They are THE BEST!
“And now the pirates home bases and training facilities should be blown off the face of the map!! Right now!!”
Google Earth Eyl, Somalia (pirate city). One MOAB should be more than enough — do it before they run.
Once we are done celbrating, I cannot wait to find out what was going on with chain of command. It sounds as if the Navy was being forced to take orders from the frickin FBI.
Wonder if the SEALS acted w/o approval from FBI, Energy, Transport, State, EPA, etc? I’m not kidding, that is the multi agency task force Omoron assmbled to resolve this.
This went on way too long, & there was too much needless suffering.
>>>> Sounds like that what the representative for the Massachusetts Maritime Academy who was just on Fox is advocating! <<<<<
Well obviously he’s a very smart man! ;-)
I doubt it. BTW, where is that Obama guy? Has he found his desk yet?
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