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U.S. Navy Arrives at Scene of Hijacked American Ship

Triad

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The U.S. is gearing up for a standoff with the band of pirates who hijacked a U.S.-flagged cargo ship off the coast of Somalia as a Navy warship reportedly arrived at the scene early Thursday.

The crew of the Maersk Alabama were able to regain control of the vessel Wednesday, but the pirates escaped with the captain as a captive. Kevin Speers, a spokesman for the owner of ship, told the Associated Press that a U.S. Navy warship arrived at the scene, and the pirates and their hostage were a short distance away in one of the ship's lifeboats.

Family members said Capt. Richard Phillips surrendered to the pirates to secure the safety of the crew.

"What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage," said Gina Coggio, 29, half sister of Phillips' wife. "That is what he would do. It's just who he is and his response as a captain."

It is unclear, however, how the standoff will end, given that Western countries in the past have faced legal difficulties in pursuing such pirates in international waters.
FOXNews.com - U.S. Navy Arrives at Scene of Hijacked American Ship - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

"standoff" and "legal difficulties" :roll:



This IMO is the first real test of Obama alone on a solitary issue.

1. Will he make it clear the USA will not be tampered with and give the hostage takers a choice of give him back or die.

2. Or will we see Carter II:"The somalian affair"

I'd bet on two but he may be forced into one.


..besides we can use the excuse to bomb the hell out of the al Qaeda allied forces now controlling big chunks of the country ..again.
Ethiopia asked for the "wests" help in their effort against those forces. They had invaded and wooped them. Nobody delivered much more then words. So Ethiopia a year or two ago left as they said they would if they where not helped more.
Its the worst Regional defeat in this war and one which we caused ourselves.
 
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You'll recall the Clinton Somali Affair in Mogadishu in 1993.

They made a movie about it.
 
getting the captain out alive is the tricky part, but there are many ways to accomplish that. Once he's safe, the payback can begin.
 
getting the captain out alive is the tricky part, but there are many ways to accomplish that. Once he's safe, the payback can begin.

Agreed. Although the specific logistics of getting him out are unknown to any of us here.
 
getting the captain out alive is the tricky part, but there are many ways to accomplish that. Once he's safe, the payback can begin.

Okay. Supposedly they lifeboat is occupied after all. Let's see what happens.

The military called in FBI hostage negotiators Thursday to waters where Somali pirates held the American captain of a hijacked cargo ship that was later retaken by the crew in a high seas drama as a U.S. destroyer kept watch.

The pirates took Capt. Richard Phillips as a hostage as they escaped into a lifeboat Wednesday in the first such attack on American sailors in 200 years.

Kevin Speers, a spokesman for the ship company Maersk, said the USS Bainbridge had arrived off the Horn of Africa near where the pirates were floating near the Maersk Alabama.

"It's on the scene at this point," Speers said of the Bainbridge, adding that the lifeboat holding the pirates and the captain is out of fuel.

"The boat is dead in the water," he told AP Radio. "It's floating near the Alabama. It's my understanding that it's floating freely."

[...]

FOXNews.com - U.S. Warship, Hostage Negotiators Arrive as Pirates' Options Dwindle - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News
 
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You'll recall the Clinton Somali Affair in Mogadishu in 1993.
They made a movie about it.
Yes.

I recall some anti-US loon from Columbia University hoping for 'a million Mogadishus' in Iraq...

...where 19 million Ameicans and 1 BILLION Muslims would die.
 
Obama should tell those douchebags they have one hour before he bombs their families on shore.
 
Yes.

I recall some anti-US loon from Columbia University hoping for 'a million Mogadishus' in Iraq...

...where 19 million Ameicans and 1 BILLION Muslims would die.

Hey, that's like half of them, right? That would sure aid the war on terror!
 
The USN needs to increase patrols along the Horn of Africa. It's a major shipping lane and we have the largest of the handful of blue water navies still operational.

We need to deal these pirates a blow, and make sure that no ships, regardless of the flag they fly, get attacked by these cowardly assholes.
 
The USN needs to increase patrols along the Horn of Africa. It's a major shipping lane and we have the largest of the handful of blue water navies still operational.

Oh yeah, we need the enormous power of the US Navy to squash the little third world pirates. I think the best solution is simply to give small arms to the shps' crew members.

We need to deal these pirates a blow, and make sure that no ships, regardless of the flag they fly, get attacked by these cowardly assholes.

What kind of "blow" do you want to deal to them? Your world view would probably be a little different if you lived in a third world ****hole with no viable source of income.
 
The USN needs to increase patrols along the Horn of Africa. It's a major shipping lane and we have the largest of the handful of blue water navies still operational.

We need to deal these pirates a blow, and make sure that no ships, regardless of the flag they fly, get attacked by these cowardly assholes.




Why would they need to patrol. Just keep bombing the big houses in mogudishu.
 
Why would they need to patrol. Just keep bombing the big houses in mogudishu.

The influx of wealth into Somalia might actually have a positive effect in lifting Somalia out of anarchy. I'm not saying it's right to do what they do, but it does have it's advantages in the larger scheme of things.
 
The influx of wealth into Somalia might actually have a positive effect in lifting Somalia out of anarchy. I'm not saying it's right to do what they do, but it does have it's advantages in the larger scheme of things.



Maybe, but the source is piracy, and now it is piracy of American ships. No quarter.
 
Here's my concern: Why hasn't President Obama issued some kind of statement expressing outrage about an American ship being attacked by pirates and an American captain being held hostage? He could have at least expressed sympathy for the family of the hostage.

What a sickening lack of leadership. Is he afraid of offending the pirates? Does he think the most powerful country in the world might one day need the help of the failed state of Somalia? Is this part of his "we're not at war with Islam" thing? Are we sending a message that this behavior is acceptable or that the president just doesn't notice? Is this like the AIG bonuses where he just needs some time to think about it first? If anyone else is mad about this, I suggest going to the White House website and sending an email about it. I'm not a Bush fan but at least he would have said something.
 
Here's my concern: Why hasn't President Obama issued some kind of statement expressing outrage about an American ship being attacked by pirates and an American captain being held hostage? He could have at least expressed sympathy for the family of the hostage.

What a sickening lack of leadership. Is he afraid of offending the pirates? Does he think the most powerful country in the world might one day need the help of the failed state of Somalia? Is this part of his "we're not at war with Islam" thing? Are we sending a message that this behavior is acceptable or that the president just doesn't notice? Is this like the AIG bonuses where he just needs some time to think about it first? If anyone else is mad about this, I suggest going to the White House website and sending an email about it. I'm not a Bush fan but at least he would have said something.



This is a great point. Obama has been on a world US apology tour, and there has been no statement regarding the piracy of an American ship other than "we are watching closely"
 
Oh yeah, we need the enormous power of the US Navy to squash the little third world pirates. I think the best solution is simply to give small arms to the shps' crew members.

Arming ship crews would increase the possibility of mutinies aboard these ships.
 
This is a great point. Obama has been on a world US apology tour, and there has been no statement regarding the piracy of an American ship other than "we are watching closely"
Hmm.
Compare and contrast that to 1801-1805.
 
Here's my concern: Why hasn't President Obama issued some kind of statement expressing outrage about an American ship being attacked by pirates and an American captain being held hostage? He could have at least expressed sympathy for the family of the hostage.

What a sickening lack of leadership. Is he afraid of offending the pirates? Does he think the most powerful country in the world might one day need the help of the failed state of Somalia? Is this part of his "we're not at war with Islam" thing? Are we sending a message that this behavior is acceptable or that the president just doesn't notice? Is this like the AIG bonuses where he just needs some time to think about it first? If anyone else is mad about this, I suggest going to the White House website and sending an email about it. I'm not a Bush fan but at least he would have said something.
He's too busy, he's talking about housing today. :roll:
 
Why do people use poverty as an excuse to justify piracy?

Somalia is a non-functioning state. Nobody that wants a positive ROI would invest in that "country". If you want to nation build, petition Obama for an authorization force to clean up the region, otherwise, we should arm the cargo ships and increase USN patrols across the Horn of Africa.
 
Why do people use poverty as an excuse to justify piracy?

Somalia is a non-functioning state. Nobody that wants a positive ROI would invest in that "country". If you want to nation build, petition Obama for an authorization force to clean up the region, otherwise, we should arm the cargo ships and increase USN patrols across the Horn of Africa.

Because the impoverished have nothing else to turn to than violence-- I suppose.
 
You can give that as a reason. It doesn't make it right. That's what I'm trying to say.
 
You'll recall the Clinton Somali Affair in Mogadishu in 1993.

They made a movie about it.

Yes I recall Clinton using the attacks by a warlords(forget his name atm) forces and of all things al-Qaeda as his excuse to run out of Somalia.
Osama likes to mention it often as proof that the US is weak willed.



.
So far Obama is doing exactly what I would have expected from him.
A Carter Re-run.
 
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