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 ...
I’ll bet that wasn’t it at all. I’ll bet that the captain of the destroyer made a unilateral decision outside of the zero’s authorization.
See my post just above. The zero didn’t do squat other than jump in front of the cameras and claim credit.
Praise God! and God Bless America... i am so proud to be an American... and that captain is a true hero! good news indeed!
You, PanzerKardinal, win a gold star for today’s FUNNIEST and MOST IMAGINATIVE post.
"Michael Mansoor’s cohorts just never stop delivering the goods, do they?..."Yes, he wouldn't expect nothing less from his buddies. God bless our heroes.
I wonder if they were laying on the deck of the navy ship with their rifles on the side or above they deck on the superstructure or a deck gun.
I wonder if they used the SEALs modified & updated version of the M-14.
and Pres. Obama is now on the side of the angels, as he can always say that he first tried to negotiate, as opposed to showing weakness.
It's what he does when the Somali pirates start taking more ships and shooting hostages, that will be be dissected.
The power of prayer ANSWERED! Thanks be to God!
WONDERFUL!
God Bless the United States Navy!
WHOOOOO HOOOOO!
http://www.navyseals.com/michael-monsoor
“During Mike Monsoor’s funeral in San Diego, as his coffin was being moved from the hearse to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, SEALs were lined up on both sides of the pallbearers route forming a column of two’s, with the coffin moving up the center. As Mike’s coffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident from his uniform, slapped it down embedding the Trident in the wooden coffin. The slaps were audible from across the cemetery; by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents pinned to it. This was a fitting send-off for a warrior hero. “
(picture at link)
The story has developed quite a lot since I posted my thoughts on Captain Phillips' rescue.
It now appears that there were Rules of Engagement in place during this whole episode which gave the Captain of the USS Bainbridge the authority to use deadly force "if Captain Phillips' life was in danger".
Still, we don't know how much undue pressure might have been put on the naval personnel from FBI and other agencies involved, which kept them from ending this sooner.
We also don't know what sort of communiques were coming down through channels to the Navy. I can only imagine how crazy the real behind-the-scenes story is.
I wonder if Michelle O is proud to be an American today?
I went and looked at the pic. Those had to be some heavy-duty slaps!
yes the liberals are claiming victory for Obama and a lot of "shame on you's" for doubting his highness would pull it off , way to go Obama !
What about his canoodling with Obama?
Good work!
Can someone tell me what the initial FR on the Fox News Channel means? It’s in the lower right corner of the screen. It couldn’t mean Free Republic, could it? ;)
I want to know why he had to do it TWICE? Why wasn't once enough? Did his authorization come with an expiration date?
Maybe because nobody believed he was serious the first time.
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