The U.S Navy Special Forces snipers took out three Somali pirates and rescued Captain Richard Phillips, thereby ending a five-day long hostage drama. Somali pirates are a regular scourge on the shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. This was the first time an American crew, of the Maersk Alabama, was taken hostage in these waters. In a see-saw struggle the ship’s crew regained control of the ship from the pirates who however managed to take the ship’s captain hostage.
The U.S Navy had presidential permission to use deadly force if necessary to get their own back and before they knew the pirates were up against the USS Halyburton, a guided missile frigate, the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, and the Bainbridge.
The on-scene commander in charge of the snipers aboard the USS Bainbridge made a split-second decision to eliminate the snipers when, in the midst of heated negotiations, he saw one of them pointing an AK-47 at the captain’s back.
Captain Phillips has received a hero’s welcome after having spent five days adrift on a lifeboat facing hostile pirates and temperatures of up to 100 degrees.
The pirates on their part have vowed revenge on the Americans.
(Photo from Wikipedia)
Comments
Garmin Handheld GPS
April 12th, 2009 - 11:14:53 PM
I'm sorry for any loss of life but I'm glad that the pirates have not gotten what they wanted this time. If people keep giving in all the time, they'll know they can take whatever they want whenever they want.
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Derek
April 13th, 2009 - 10:02:15 AM
Glad this guy was rescued, but when is this whole pirate thing going to blow over? Can't we just send some troops into Somalia and clean up? That's where all the pirates are hiding it seems.
2
Joe
April 13th, 2009 - 10:03:24 AM
^ uhh, haven't you learned anything from Iraq or Afghanistan? not a good idea to just storm into another country just to 'clean up.' be a lot more trouble then it's worth.
3