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 ...
Drudge has just posted that the merchant captain was in “imminent danger” of being killed when he was rescued.
obama is taking the credit!
Stand down orders likley encounterd inexplicable static no doubt.
I don't think for a moment if SEALs were involved that obami micro-managed anything. In fact, I don't think he even cared about the larger ramifications of America looking week. He has his eternal campaign of equalizing the World's populace and glad-handing to stroke his affirmative action ego.
I wonder if it was a pre-arranged signal that caused the captain to jump overboard before the fight started, and if it was, how was it accomplished..
I highly doubt that the Chesse-Eating Surrender Monkey In Chief gave that order.
More likely, some courageous Naval officer put his career on the line when he saw Captain Phillips escape the SECOND time.
I’d like to know if it was a SEAL op. Obviously, they didn’t fire Harpoons at the thing.
Hahahaah
“I had to rewind “that guy” because I heard him say something about Zero....he said it shouldn’t have got to the point...AMEN....he is “JOE THE SAILOR”..”
“Joe the Sailor” Catchy, I like it!
Was the FBI brought into this because some of the pirates may have been recruited in America?
Ditto about Capt. Phillips.
Thank God he was rescued safely, and thank God for our Navy
who does things right!
....with no help from Zero, the most ineffective president
in history!
Coburn? I need to know more about this brave and righteous man!
You said — Equip the ships with sensors so that grappling hooks can be detected. Cut their ropes while they are ascending. Then use a grapping hook in reverse - an electrified chain (last few links insulated) - to haul dinghy until arresting authority can arrive and take care of the leftovers.
—
Hey, we can all come up with all sorts of “dandy ideas”... but that’s not the problem here. The problem is that the company who owns these ships and their President, has already said — “sorry guys, all you get to use is the fire hoses...”
That’s your problem.
And..., since it *is their company* — they get to choose how to run it... that’s the way it goes.
That also goes along with the idea that this piracy problem is *not* something the U.S. created and neither should the U.S. try to solve it. It’s not the business of the U.S. to cure all the problems for all these other countries and/or ship companies who have decided to keep paying ransoms (and they have done so for years now...).
So, they are the ones who created this problem and not the U.S. ... so the U.S. should stay out of the problem. We got the captain back so that’s it and we’re “done” now... (go home...).
Good one! Couldn't have happened on a better day.
And I respectfully disagree with you.
Reason: being Americans, our first objective is maintain the life of American citizens. If the SEALs were to have attempted such a rescue, the hostage would most likely be deaded. You really don't understand how they operate.
Also, I'll bet you a six-pack that the SEALs weren't on station immediately because they don't normally ride on destroyers or frigates (Bainbridge & Halyburton). They had to be helicoptered in to whichever was closest and had the landing platform.
I may be older Navy '75 - '86, but I still know enough that there are not enough SEAL units to ride every ship we have, and that is hundreds. You should listen to what the Navy people on this thread is trying to tell you.
BTW, it is SEAL, not seal. Do you even know what that acronym stands for? No disrespect intended.
Great news! And great job, Seals. With this good news, I hope Marcus Luttrell feels a little better today.
Captain "Sully" Sullenberger for Vice-President!
What a pair of Cool Hand Lukes to be at the helm of our Ship of State!
Leni
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