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Testing time: How will President Obama respond to piracy?
TigerHawk —
Somali pirates have decided that it is great time to capture an American flagged ship crewed by our citizens. Naturally, I have a few questions. Why has this not happened before? Why were these pirates not deterred by the prospects of a response from the United States Navy (the very first mission of which was to stop piracy from Africa)? What will our president do about it? This is a far more important moment for Barack Obama than the news media, judging by the lack of coverage on cable news this morning, believes it to be. 0 Comments: Post a Comment ...
Somali Pirates Hijack U.S.-Flagged Ship
The Corner on National Review Online —
... ] Somali pirates have hijacked an American flagged ship, taking hostage at least 20 Americans and their cargo aid they were were trying to provide to the distressed Muslim people of Mombassa, Kenya. As Somali pirates have been terrorizing ships on the high seas for months now, TigerHawk is ...
Another Test
Jules Crittenden —
... Somali pirates capture an American-flagged Maersk ship, with 20 American crewmen. via Yahoo . Awaiting response. Given the prevalence of al-Qaeda affiliates in the neighborhood, this kind of high-value nab raises additional concerns beyond the usual ransom game. ...
"Pirates" Seize Americans, But the Question Is...
Tammy Bruce —
... UPDATE: AP is now reporting via Fox that the Americans have regained control of the ship (yea!) and one "pirate" is in custody. ...
Pentagon: U.S. crew retakes ship
Political Animal —
... . Crew members of a U.S.-flagged ship have regained control of the vessel from pirates who seized it, a Pentagon official said Wednesday. [...] The crew is believed to be safe, and one pirate is in custody, the official said. It's unclear whether other pirates remain on board the ship or whether they have fled, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Details are, not surprisingly, still pretty sketchy, but the AP report quoted U.S. officials who said the crew has, in fact, retaken control. The New York Times ' ...
Initial reports
Mudville Gazette —
...are always wrong: The AP called the ship's satellite phone. The man who answered it said the 20-member crew had been taken hostage but managed to seize one pirate and then successfully negotiate their own release.
He says the crew has retaken control of the ship and the pirates are now in a lifeboat. But the man also says that they are holding the ship's captain hostage in the vessel.
The man did not identify himself in the brief phone conversation.
Government officials said details were murky and declined to confirm the ...
