What is needed now is a little retribution for the Somali communities that reap the benefits of pirate plunder
from Fox News
Navy Made Split-Second Decision to Open Fire in Captain Rescue
MOMBASA, Kenya — U.S. forces freed an American ship captain and killed three of his captors Sunday in a daring rescue that ended a five-day standoff between the world’s most powerful navy and Somali pirates in a lifeboat far off the Horn of Africa.
Capt. Richard Phillips was in “imminent danger” of being killed before a Navy commander made a split second decision to shoot the pirates in an operation authorized by President Barack Obama, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said.
He said the pirates were armed with AK-47s and small-caliber pistols and were pointing the rifles at the captain when the commander of the nearby USS Bainbridge gave the order to open fire.
Gortney, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the White House had given “very clear guidance and authority” to take action if Phillips’ life was in danger.
Phillips’ crew, who said they had escaped after he offered himself as a hostage, erupted in cheers aboard their ship docked in Mombasa, Kenya. Some waved an American flag and fired flares in celebration.
Phillips, 53, of Underhill, Vermont, was not hurt in several minutes of gunfire and the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet said he was resting comfortably on a U.S. warship after receiving a medical exam.
Seals, those who have brought me home,” Phillips said by phone to Maersk Line Limited President and CEO John Reinhart, the company head told reporters. A photo released by the Navy showed Phillips unharmed and shaking hands with the commanding officer of the Bainbridge
Obama said Phillips had courage that was “a model for all Americans” and he was pleased about the rescue, adding that the United States needs help from other countries to deal with the threat of piracy and to hold pirates accountable. Continue Reading →