Somali squash

Here's a link to CNN's coverage of the rescue.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/04/12/somalia.pirates/index.html

Doesn't mention SEALs per se, but that sounds like some amazing sniper work.

Other reports say it was the SEALS .

I have often wondered why they do not operate in convoys... have the ships wait in port a few days and all go out in a big group with a couple of warships

"From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli" Seem to me that we have a bit of history dealing with these scumbags. I had suggested that our good snipers take care of business, it appears that I was right. HOORAH!!! Lets buy a few rounds of beer for these guys when they come a shore! Honestly, I doubt that they will EVER have to buy a beer again! I am so happy.

It does bring up an interesting and somewhat scary idea though...

We've now broken "shoot first negotiate later", and the pirates are likely to do the same.

I'd be kinda worried if I was in those waters now.

I say we allow guns on the high seas. Commercial vessels will be allowed 5 or so weapons to protect themselves, no really big guns or anything that could do harm to large vessels...

PHeller wrote: I say we allow guns on the high seas. Commercial vessels will be allowed 5 or so weapons to protect themselves, no really big guns or anything that could do harm to large vessels...

I'll bet it happens soon.

Also, I would have LOVED to see the looks on the pirates' faces when they saw a SEAL team bearing down on them (if they even saw them). They basically know they were going to die (and I'm thrilled they did).

SEAL Snipers = don't see what/who hit you

PHeller wrote: It does bring up an interesting and somewhat scary idea though... We've now broken "shoot first negotiate later", and the pirates are likely to do the same. I'd be kinda worried if I was in those waters now. I say we allow guns on the high seas. Commercial vessels will be allowed 5 or so weapons to protect themselves, no really big guns or anything that could do harm to large vessels...

I disagree, there were negotiations when the captain was supposed to be swapped for the then held pirate. They blew that one. Ongoing negotiations ran from the time they had the captain on board.

Three single pop to the skulls were earned.

fastEddie wrote: SEAL Snipers = don't see what/who hit you

EXACTLY! One second ... your THE man, Capt'n PiRat all big and bold... then?

For maybe one split second, you see your mate's head explode. before your's does!

About $#%^&$'n time the whoop a$$ can was opened! Now? chase down the 'mother" ships and open up on them

Do we have an aircraft carrier in the area? Any boat capable of launching a few Apache gunships? The area of concern is huge, but jets cover a lot of water very quickly, choppers less so, but still. Would it be possible to intervene before the target ship is boarded? If so, we can air mail the well deserved large size drum of whoopass. Watching an F-18 make a strafing on a little wood boat would be excellent. No worries about return fire, either. I would also imagine that Apaches would make short work of the mother ships as well. Just make sure we get the video!! If ya wanna play with the big dogs.......

Actually, if you looked at the "dinghy"... They aren't that small. Most are in the 30+ foot Boston Whaler type variety.

Still, a pissed off Navy pilot vs. a 40' boatload of pirates- it won't take more than one pass. An RPG can't track like a Stinger, can it?

hey maybe now international law will allow licensed officers of the merchant marine carry side arms, trusted will billions of ships and cargo, but apparently not responsible enough to carry a 9mm for self defense.. arm deckies and engineers!!! i rather not be held hostage buck somalians in the future...

longhorndude wrote: hey maybe now international law will allow licensed officers of the merchant marine carry side arms, trusted will billions of ships and cargo, but apparently not responsible enough to carry a 9mm for self defense.. arm deckies and engineers!!! i rather not be held hostage buck somalians in the future...

great so 2-3 handguns vs some dudes with ex russian RPG's and Light Machine guns. If you raise the stakes by arming the boats they go after you'll just make the pirates get bigger guns. It is africa after all, you can buy anything you want there.

what size boat nearly brought down the USS cole?

yea.. but a 9mm is quite the deterient when your used to being unnopposed, ne thing bigger than a 9mm has a good chase of going through interior bulkheads too.. this is why MSC (military sealift command) arms their civilian officers.. with m14s, 9mm, .45 cal, and shotguns along with assorted grenades..

I've wondered about the "convoy" thing myself. It worked in WW2. And the Germans were better armed.

iceracer wrote: I've wondered about the "convoy" thing myself. It worked in WW2. And the Germans were better armed.

works when you have an escort...

I just hope they’ve got a really good sound system on board so they can crank this up all the way back to port:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3WrRVhL37w&feature=related

It was bound to happen - Pirate Hunter reality TV....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30191814/

ArrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrBANG!

repeat as necessary...

http://www.slate.com/id/2216031/?GT1=38001 one more link. Funny how Obama had nothing to say until the operation was a success. The, hands down, best politician out there today.

I don't understand everyone dumping on Obama over this. It was an ongoing operation. One of the reasons we failed in Somalia the first time was that every troop that landed there was trailed by a camera crew. It's hard to maintain an element of surprise when you put every move on live TV.

Yesterday I was flipping through the radio stations here and he was getting bashed by both sides for using the military to kill civilians of another nation, making him no better than GW, and ordering the seals to shoot men who may have been out of ammo and ready to give up. It's sad that we finally take a stand somewhere and show these people we're not going to take thier crap anymore and it turns into one time that both sides can agree we are wrong.

in all reality i think it went down in about the best way possible.

from what i read into it, he basically put the authorization into the hands of those on-scene (didn't try to micro manage it)

i felt he could have acted sooner, but now in retrospect, I feel that waiting for the right opportunity was the best choice.

we NEEDED to deliver a can of whoopass to show that this new administration wasnt weak militarily. While we did need something of back off from the bush admin, we cant drop our position. Obama DID show that if it was called for he was ready to give the order, but he was not hasty to jump to that conclusion.

with all of the "America isn't arrogant" preaching and progressing the pull out of iraq it could have been inferred that we were unwilling to project our power. this was a good balance to show otherwise without being too hasty.

could it have gone better? probably

did it work out well, i think the answer is yes.

I hope now that the situation off Somalia is more forefront in our country's mind we will be able to push an international solution to the problem. WE SHOULD NOT DO IT ALONE, but we CAN be an elemental part of making the international community solve this problem.

Anyone who has read any amount of my ranting on here knows I'm not a huge fan of the president, based mostly on his fiscal and somewhat on his ideological positions. That said, anyone who criticizes the way he handled this is basically taking the position that if he does it,it must be bad. He handle this awesome. Speak soft, big stick. He authorized force, then he got out of the way to let the people on scene do their jobs. The way it should be.