From the LA Times:
Smith said he could not discuss how Capt. Richard Phillips of the cargo ship Maersk Alabama was freed except to say that it was done through military operation and not through a negotiated settlement and that the pirates "died as a consequence of their own actions.'"
"Regrettably, three pirates made a choice that ended in the loss of their lives. One did not and is in our custody and will of course be treated responsibly and held responsible," said Smith, adding that a news conference was being planned in Bahrain to provide more details about the operation.
Smith suggested that the three Somali pirates who were with Phillips fought back. The rescue most likely was carried out by a specially trained team of Navy SEALs or other special forces, who were in the region as part of a massive U.S. government effort to free Phillips.
The fourth, surviving pirate had been involved in negotiations to free the American and was not on the lifeboat where the captain was being held."
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Click title to read more from BBC....If there is a lesson from all this , let's hope that we realize that Pirates are as dangerous as any Terror group and International Laws are not functioning for most ships in that region...Thankfully the SEALS did what needed to be done...and that the Captain kept a cool head...More details and Updates to come.
6 comments:
Pirates dead, or captured, Obama made the correct decision, Captain free and unharmed, shows the world he can make tough decisions, I saw some comment on other blogs which said he would wimp out.....guess not!
Still the pirates will now up the ante.....we have not seen the end of this little drama
I heard the captain jumped out again and when he did they grabbed him and the fight was on.. I am just glad it is over..
There are also stories on the web that we are supposed to be feeling sorry for these "pirates" because someone fouled the waters and they are just poor fishermen with nothing to do.. well what are they doing with all the money they have collected over the last year or two. It is something like 100 million or some such.. I believe that should take care of a lot of feel sorry for me..
TOM AND ANNETTE:::
whelp..I don't think the Navy Seals are much for Pity the Pirates as a Plan....ARGHHHHH....
;-)
No the Pirates are exploiting an Impoverished Starving situation- they are not just pirates on sea- they work for the highest bidder and they steal food from the villages- the NGO's trying to deliver food and supplies to the area have been fighting them on land and water for years- they block needed aid- sellling it to corrupt officials and Tribal Lords and worse....
( I investigated Pirates about 2 years ago- I was thinking of doing MSF- Doctors without Borders- still am- but I was curious how they effect care in the region....and they do...)
About Obama, as president he did what was smart- he listened to the Negotiators and let the Navy do their job....and if Bush had been president- he would have made some dumass tough cowboy announcement about kicking some pirate ass etc...so I am glad that Obama did what needed to be done...which in this case Silence and time was needed....my impression is that Obama listens carefully and weighs decisions and watches....I think we will see this again and again...
I just read on ABC.com that what I had read earlier was wrong.. he didn't try again to escape.. he just stepped to the door to pee.. evidently they had opened the top or something... and POTUS had given them the green light to take them out 2 times if they could.. so they had a clear shot at the 3 and took it.. and rescued him.. Just a picture perfect rescue.. Like you said.. PO listens and makes wise choices.. I think he is doing that on a lot of things we don't know about.. while we are upset over some things he is doing I think he is doing things we don't know and is playing everyone to get them to do their job. I am working on something that will explain it.. I hope...lol
thanks annette::
I watched this navy seal the other night tell about how their pee schedules were helpful establishing what was going on in the rescue pod....that there are no facilities on board and that was helpful....so I had been pondering that...
( they probally peed in shifts...and one had to stay and watch the prisoner...)
and Obama- I think he is thoughtful...careful...wise...
I do trust that....
The pirate in custody is about 16-yrs old. The other pirates sent him to The Bainbridge for medical treatment because his hand was cut in the original hijacking. With all the supplies in that lifeboat, that sounds odd to me. I think they all knew they were dead men and decided to give the youngest one a chance. At least I'd like to think they did something like that. If the kid is handled properly, he could be a good source of info for us about how they operate.
I heard other shipping companies have been in touch with Blackwater/xe. Well maybe it takes one set of thugs to deal with another? I dunno. I'm just glad this particular incident ended & the pilot is OK.
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