Somali pirates vs. everyone else

Status
Not open for further replies.
C

C7CACorncas12

New Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
602
Reaction score
0
WASHINGTON — FBI agents are investigating the Somali pirates who hijacked a U.S. ship and are holding its captain hostage, U.S. officials said Saturday, raising the possibility of federal charges against the men if they are captured.

Even as Navy warships were in a standoff with the pirates floating in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean, FBI agents from New York were investigating how the hijacking unfolded, according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

Attorney General Eric Holder said this past week that the Justice Department had not seen a case of piracy against a U.S. ship in hundreds of years. But authorities have prepared for such an event as the threat of piracy along the African coast has risen.

"If there were ever a U.S. victim of one of these attacks or a U.S. shipping line that were a victim, our Justice Department has said that it would favorably consider prosecuting such apprehended pirates," Stephen Mull, the acting undersecretary of state for international security and arms control, told Congress last month.

Somali pirates boarded and briefly took control of a U.S. cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama. The crew thwarted the hijackers, however, and the pirates fled to a lifeboat with Capt. Richard Phillips as hostage.

Under U.S. law, crimes aboard U.S. ships or against U.S. citizens can be prosecuted in U.S. courts, even when they occur in international waters.

The FBI investigation is being run out of New York because the office there oversees cases involving U.S. citizens in Africa. Other field offices take the lead depending on where in the world the crime occurs.

The FBI has a legal attache at the U.S. Embassy in Kenya and has agents elsewhere in Africa to assist the investigation.

Whether charges ever get filed depends on how the standoff plays out. If the pirates are captured at sea, it will be much easier for U.S. authorities to prosecute.
Click to expand...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,514556,00.html

Somali pirates hijacked an Italian-flagged tugboat with 16 crew Saturday, a NATO spokeswoman said, as U.S. warships closely watched a lifeboat where an American captain was being held hostage for a fourth day.

The tugboat was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's northern coast as it was pulling barges, said Shona Lowe, a spokeswoman at NATO's Northwood maritime command center.

The Foreign Ministry in Rome confirmed 10 of the 16 crew members are Italian. Italian government officials and the company that owned the vessel were involved in trying to secure their release, Lowe said.

The ship is owned by an Italian maritime services company, Micoperi. It was traveling from Singapore to transfer two empty barges to the Port of Suez, Fabio Bartolotti, the son of the company's owner, told The Associated Press.

The attack on the Italian boat took place as the American captain of the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama was held on a lifeboat watched by two U.S. warships, hundreds of miles from land.

The Alabama was heading toward the Kenyan port of Mombasa — its original destination — with 20 American crew members aboard. It was expected to arrive Saturday night, said Joseph Murphy, whose son is second-in-command of the vessel.

Port officials moved shipping containers Saturday afternoon to block reporters' and photographers' views of the ship when it docks.

A Nairobi-based diplomat, who receives regular briefings on the situation, said the four pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips some 380 miles off shore had tried to summon other pirates from the Somali mainland.

The diplomat, who spoke on condition on anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters, said that pirates had been trying to reach the lifeboat.

He said that at least two American ships and U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft had been attempting to deter pirate ships and skiffs from contact with the lifeboat but he did not know if the pirates and Navy ships had come into contact.

A Somali who described himself as having close ties to pirate networks told The Associated Press that pirates had set out in four commandeered ships with hostages from a variety of nations including the Philippines, Russia and Germany. The diplomat told the AP that large pirate "motherships" and skiffs were heading in the direction of the lifeboat.

A second Somali man who said he had spoken by satellite phone to a pirate piloting a seized German freighter told the AP by phone Saturday that the pirate captain had reported being blocked by U.S. forces and was returning Saturday to the pirate stronghold of Harardhere.

Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, the Somali man said the pirate captain told him the ship was in sight of a U.S. Navy destroyer Saturday morning local time, received a U.S. warning not to come any closer and, fearing attack, left the scene without ever seeing the lifeboat.

A Pentagon official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations said in Washington Saturday morning that there had been no developments overnight. He declined to comment on the report that the U.S. Navy had turned back the pirates.

The Somali man said the pirate also told him that two other commandeered ships from Taiwan and Greece that were trying to reach the lifeboat feared a showdown with the U.S. Navy and returned to Eyl, a port that serves as a pirate hub, on Friday night. It was not immediately possible to contact people in Eyl Saturday.

The Somali man said the fourth ship that had tried to reach the lifeboat was a Norwegian tanker that was released Friday after a $2 million ransom was paid. The owner of the Norwegian tanker Bow Asir confirmed Friday that it had been released two weeks after it was seized by armed pirates off the Somali coast, and all 27 of its crew members were unhurt.

Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, was seized Wednesday when he thwarted the takeover of the 17,000-ton U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, which was carrying food aid for hungry people in Somalia, Rwanda and Uganda. He told his crew of 20 to lock themselves in a cabin, crew members told stateside relatives.

Phillips surrendered himself to safeguard his men. The crew later overpowered some of the pirates but the Somalis fled with the captain to an enclosed lifeboat, the relatives said.

On Friday, Phillips jumped out of the lifeboat and tried to swim for his freedom but was recaptured when a pirate fired an automatic weapon at or near him, according to U.S. Defense Department officials speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk about the sensitive, unfolding operations.

Negotiations had been taking place between the pirates and the captain of the Bainbridge, who was getting direction from FBI hostage negotiators, the officials said.

Sailors on the USS Bainbridge, which has rescue helicopters and lifeboats, were able to see Phillips but at several hundred yards away were too far to help him. The U.S. destroyer is keeping its distance, in part to stay out of the pirates' range of fire.

The lifeboat has some gas and the ability to move, according to U.S. defense officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive details.

U.S. sailors saw Phillips moving around and talking after his return to the lifeboat, and the Defense Department officials said they think he is unharmed.

The Bainbridge was joined Friday by the USS Halyburton, which has helicopters, and the huge, amphibious USS Boxer was expected soon after, the defense officials said. The Boxer, the flagship of a multination anti-piracy task force, resembles a small aircraft carrier. It has a crew of more than 1,000, a mobile hospital, missile launchers and about two dozen helicopters and attack planes.

The vice president of the Philippines, the nation with the largest number of sailors held captive by Somali pirates, appealed for the safety of hostages to be ensured in the standoff.

"We hope that before launching any tactical action against the pirates, the welfare of every hostage is guaranteed and ensured," said Vice President Noli de Castro. "Moreover, any military action is best done in consultation with the United Nations to gain the support and cooperation of other countries."

On Friday, the French navy freed a sailboat seized off Somalia last week by other pirates, but one of the hostages was killed.

France's defense minister promised an autopsy and investigation into the death of the hostage killed during the commando operation, which freed four other captives and was prompted by threats the passengers would be executed.

The pirates had seized the sailboat carrying Florent Lemacon, his wife, 3-year-old son and two friends off the Somali coast a week ago.

Two pirates were killed, and Lemacon died in an exchange of fire as he tried to duck down the hatch. Three pirates were taken prisoner in the operation, and are to be brought to France for criminal proceedings.

Piracy along the anarchic and impoverished Somali coast, the longest in Africa, has risen in recent years.

Somali pirates have been seizing ships with many hostages and anchoring it near shore, where they have quickly escaped to land and begun negotiations for multimillion-dollar ransoms.

They hold about a dozen ships with more than 200 crew members, according to the International Maritime Bureau, a piracy watchdog group based in Malaysia. The bureau lists 66 attacks since January, not including the Alabama.
Click to expand...
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,514461,00.html

If lawlessness is these jihad pirates' preferred domain, then one might conclude that they have it made in Somalia. Already, they've hijacked these two ships, and warships from America, Japan, South Korea, NATO, and even Iran and Turkey are patrolling the region to counter them. They're demanding money to let their victims go, but I am left to wonder what they intend to do with that money. Anyone who wants to chew over this conflict may feel free to fire away, and as I have with other issues I've raised at the Serebii Forums, I will search for more information about different facets of the problem of jihad piracy off Somalia's coast.
 
When the captain jumped off the lifeboat to swim for freedom, we should have blown the damn pirate boats to pieces. In this case, we really would have been doing the rest of the world a favor.
 
The captain probably wasn't able to get far enough away without the ships risking his life. The pirates managed to recapture him, so he can't have gotten more than a few yards.

Personally, I don't see the pirates as being in a good position here. Either they let they captain go, or they kill him. If they kill him, they get blown sky-high. If they let him go... well, lets hope the Americans are merciful.
 
Wait..."jihad pirates"? Where did THAT term come from? Last I heard, none of these pirates had any religious affiliation, nor where they particularly endearing themselves to the terrorists who use the "jihad" term.
 
If the destroyer had a sniper ready, they could have killed the two that stayed in the lifeboat. They just didn't have the time.

We're also learning building destroyers bigger than WWII cruisers was not such a hot idea. I'm starting to think we should convert a DD or two into swift boat tenders. Swift boats probably have the best chance of intercepting the pirate speedboats.
 
i think i read that the captain jumped overboard at night, but then the pirates fired automatic weapons at him so he swam back. and yea he only made it a few yards so the navy ship didnt have time to blow those fockers up.
 
I don't think the pirates are jihadist themselves, but I have yet to see anything to prove or disprove that. Somalia is a dominant-Muslim country though engulfed (Well, not much Somaliland, just parts of it) in a civil war.
The money for ransom may be used for the families back on land, either for protection or fight maybe, not sure. I don't think the pirates will give it to the Somalia gov. though. lolXD
 
What government? Somalia hasn't had a properly working government in almost two decades. And just because the dominant population is Muslim doesn't mean that any of the pirates are jihadists. It's an incredibly small minority of any population that is, and probably no higher than the crazy bible nuts who never seem to make the Western news.
 
The Transitional Federal Gov. of Somalia is considered to be the "gov't", it is backed by Ethiopia (International recognition as well) and is in control of nothing really, they feld to Djibouti in Jan. '09 after losing out to the Islamic Courts Union.
It's hard to get current information in Southern Somalia due to the overall level of violence.
Other "governments":
Somaliland is a "de facto" state trying to seek international recognition, and has a low level of violence.
Puntland, Northland State, Maakhir, and Galmudug all have their autonmy but recgonize the TFG as the "authority" over Somalia.
 
The pirates aren't necessarily Somali, though. They base in and around Somalia because of the lack of any sort of law-keeping force. It's impossible to know their religion or even ethnicity beyond, in some cases, "African."
 
http://www.startribune.com/local/42...yP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...-al-Qaeda-set-to-take-control-of-Somalia.html

Well, well. The mystery behind these pirates has thickened. They're not the only ones being investigated by the FBI. I don't know about the businesses in Minneapolis specifically, but as for the pirates... well, the money they've been raking in from these raids has indeed gone to fund the cause of jihad. (Note: The emphasis is mine.):

An explosion of piracy this month off the coast of Somalia is funding a growing insurgency onshore as the hijackers funnel hefty ransom payments to Islamist rebels, a maritime official said on Sunday.

A record four ships were seized in 48 hours last week off the anarchic Horn of Africa nation, meaning Somali pirates are currently holding hostage four cargo vessels, two tankers and a tug boat, along with about 130 crew members.

The spike in attacks at sea has coincided with a rise in assaults on land by radical al-Shabaab insurgents, including the capture on Friday of Somalia's strategic southern port Kismayu.

The United States say al-Shabaab is a terrorist group with close ties to al Qaeda. Experts say some of the businessmen and warlords who command the pirates are also funding the rebels.

"The entire Somali coastline is now under control of the Islamists," Andrew Mwangura, head of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, told Reuters in an interview.

"According to our information, the money they make from piracy and ransoms goes to support al-Shabaab activities onshore."

Piracy has been rife off Somalia since warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. Experts say at least 30 ships have been hijacked off the coast so far this year -- and the attacks have hit unprecedented levels this month.

"It's crazy. We have never seen anything like it in our years of tracking them," Mwangura said. "They've broken all records for piracy in this region and indeed the whole world."
Click to expand...
http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSLO00572320080824

I'd say that we just found a new African front for international jihadism, which makes Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey's involvement in the task force(s) patrolling off Somalia's coast tremendously ironic. Perhaps even more ironically, an American is among the jihadists, and he's gloating about fighting and killing Ethiopian and Somali soldiers.:

http://media.theage.com.au/national/breaking-news/american-jihadists-gloating-video-444412.html

Yes, these thugs are pirates, but judging from this information -- and a few other reliable sources -- I'd say they're more than that. I will agree wholeheartedly with anyone who proposes blowing these thugs' boats right out of the water, all to protect the freedom to move across the sea.
 
C7CACorncas12 said:
http://www.startribune.com/local/42...yP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...-al-Qaeda-set-to-take-control-of-Somalia.html

Well, well. The mystery behind these pirates has thickened. They're not the only ones being investigated by the FBI. I don't know about the businesses in Minneapolis specifically, but as for the pirates... well, the money they've been raking in from these raids has indeed gone to fund the cause of jihad. (Note: The emphasis is mine.):


http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSLO00572320080824

I'd say that we just found a new African front for international jihadism, which makes Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey's involvement in the task force(s) patrolling off Somalia's coast tremendously ironic. Perhaps even more ironically, an American is among the jihadists, and he's gloating about fighting and killing Ethiopian and Somali soldiers.:

http://media.theage.com.au/national/breaking-news/american-jihadists-gloating-video-444412.html

Yes, these thugs are pirates, but judging from this information -- and a few other reliable sources -- I'd say they're more than that. I will agree wholeheartedly with anyone who proposes blowing these thugs' boats right out of the water, all to protect the freedom to move across the sea.
Click to expand...

Ah, so there IS a connection. Though...I don't quite see what's "ironic" about those countries protecting their own ships from pirates. Iran may have a strong Islamic insurgency, but they're obviously not connected. And Saudi Arabia...well...what's to say about Saudi Arabia that doesn't immediately contradict itself? But Turkey's fairly progressive and actually attempting to move into the 21st century.
 
Iran doesn't support the jihad. They actually supported our campaign in Afghanistan before Bush called them evil. In fact, they have a problem with the Sunnis, and the fact the Sunni jihad is being funded by raiding their commerce probably pisses them off on multiple levels.
 
Blowing the pirates up is not a solution, it's grandstanding (hi Newt Gingrich). These people have turned to one of the few ways left in Somalia to make money. The real solution to this problem is to "fix" Somalia, although I grant that that's a very, very, very difficult problem.

Also, "Islamist" doesn't necessarily mean "terrorist". Yes, there are al-Qaeda elements there, but it would be ill-advised to blow that problem out of proportion to reality.
 
Arrrrr.

That's all I have to say on this issue for now.

But more seriously, this isn't an Islamic thing, it's of the same vein that produces terrorism out of hopelessness--it just so happens that a lot of Islamic people are very, very poor in this part of the world.
 
Indeed. "Terrorist" may be good for describing what these criminals do, but "Islamist" may be more specific in describing what they believe. Many are the tentacles of jihadism, but it is clear to me that the Somali tentacle doesn't care about who stands in its way. Already have the Islamists made their influence clear in other ways, from renaming Kismayo's airport after a man who made an effort to conquer Abyssinia to affirming Sharia programs through Somalia's Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein. I can only wonder what will become of this Islamic insurgency as the jihad pirates continue their nefarious hijackings, but if the United States Navy reacted swiftly, then those pirates might be more ready to give up what they've been doing.
 
I just saw that as well. I'm very happy that he's safe. Apparently they went in a killed three of the four pirates and saved the captain.

Really, we've got to come up with a way to stop these pirates. We need swifter ships accompanying the cargo ships through the area. That or we need to somehow arm these cargo ships. Unfortunately, by doing that, we're asking for the pirates to fire. Which really isn't a good thing if your ships are carrying combustibile cargo.
 
Captain Phillips freed, 3 pirates killed

Talk about a good way to conclude this nightmare on the high seas. I might very well have enjoyed being there when those criminals were taken out, and now, a very happy Easter awaits Richard Phillips, his family, the crew of the Maersk Alabama, and the United States Navy. This is how to deal with the jihad pirates off Somalia's coast, one small victory for those who favor freedom over submission. To be sure, this may simply be a start, but should the United States and those countries patrolling the area continue pressing the jihad pirates as ardently and ruthlessly as they can, we shouldn't have too much trouble out of them.
 
Yes!

I was so happy to hear that the captain was freed. I've been praying for Phillips and his family, I was really afraid they were going to kill him before we did anything about the situation.

Thankfully he's okay.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom