Free Republic

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Wednesday for world action to "end the scourge of piracy" as U.S. warships raced to confront pirates who hijacked a U.S.-flagged ship off the coast of Somalia. American crew members aboard the hijacked ship were able to regain control of the vessel Wednesday, but the ship's captain still is being held hostage on a smaller boat. "We are deeply concerned and we are following it very closely," Clinton said. "Specifically, we are now focused on this particular act of piracy and the seizure of a ship that carries 21 American citizens. More generally, we...

The Danish support vessel Absalon, which currently heads Task Force 150 operations in the Gulf of Aden has detained five Somali pirates after sinking their vessel, according to Admiral Danish Fleet. The Danish support vessel Absalon has detained five pirates in the Gulf of Aden after a dramatic incident involving a Netherlands-flagged vessel The Absalon detained the pirates after a dramatic incident in the Gulf of Aden, during which pirates attacked a Netherlands-flagged vessel. The crew were able to repulse the pirates, setting fire to their skiff with an emergency flare, after which the pirates abandoned ship and were picked...