Pirates murder 4 American hostages
Tman sends us a link to the Reuters article which announces that the four Americans kidnapped by Somali pirates were murdered by those same pirates;
The sequence of events was not immediately clear, but the U.S. military’s Central Command said the dead hostages were only discovered after U.S. forces responded to gunfire and boarded the pirated yacht, known as the Quest.
“As they responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest, the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors,” the U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement.
“Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds.”
Central Command says that it captured 13 pirates while 2 others cast off their mortal coils. The pirates claimed that the US fired first causing them to react by killing the hostages.
Everybody will react if his life is in danger. We should not agree to be killed and let the hostages be freed.
Um, it was the pirates who hijacked the yacht, right? Silly pirate.
ADDED: Mr Wolf writes to tell us that one of those pirates was “done” up close, SEAL-to-pirate.
Category: Pirates
Can I ask an insensitive question…what was the yacht doing in Somali waters to begin with?
I say they video tape the remaining pirates being shot and thrown overboard, then send the tape to the rest of the pirates and tell them they’re next.
But that’s just me.
There’s no need for a trial, they were caught doing their pirate thing and 4 innocent people were murdered by them. Case closed, shoot the fuckers and throw them overboard. Case closed.
They were 300 miles off the Somali coast. They were also travelling under EMCON (no radio, no lights, no electric). Normally one would think that would be enough.
And these guys aren’t shark food yet because why, exactly?
Claymore, the only thing I could find out is this: s/v Quest is a Davidson 58 Pilot House Sloop. It had embarked on some kind of around-the-world tour. The link is below but is currently not accessible.
http://www.svquest.com
You would think being 300 nm off the coast would be good enough. Apparently not.
The pirates have gone as far as 600 nm off the coast, before.
So here’s a better question than “Why is 300 nm not enough?” here’s the question we SHOULD be asking “why aren’t we ACTIVELY hunting these SOBs BEFORE they take hostages?”
That’s well into international waters…I’d assume a Zodiac full of dipshits waving AK’s aren’t on a deepsea fishing expedition and make a shitload of sharks happy.
And that probably answers the question right there. The rest of the world is waiting for the US to pick up the tab and take the risks of this little safari. Like usual.
I’m with Doc. I think simple station keeping and patroling are wasted efforts if we aren’t actively taking the fight to them. It’s a waste of resources.
I’m no expert, but “actively taking the fight to them” would mean land warfare in coastal regions, wouldn’t it? To get them, we’d have to chase them all the way to their lairs?
😀
Well, maybe, juuuuust maybe, a little Jeffersonian logic needs to be displayed? Take away their ports of operation; “shores of Tripoli” still rings true. MEU attacking from the sea and have airborne troops come at them from land in a pincer movement. Take the ports, which would put them out of business. Nothing fancy, just old school ass kicking. Those caught out at sea become shark chum.
I’m just sayin.
Keep talkin’ like that, and you’ll give our current administration an old fashion case of the vapors…
Pinto; it would give the others pause to contemplate a new line of work. Put up signs that state “surgeon general’s warning; piracy may be hazardous to your health” and put up pictures and videos of pirates being shot and thrown overboard.
Yes, Old Trooper, and I agree that it needs to be done, and fast. Nothing will stop the pirates except force. But why, with so many other naval nations in the world, does it always fall on us to DO SOMETHING about things like this?
IIRC, they also have SSGN’s occasionally doing port calls in Diego Garcia. One trip, full loadout of Tomahawks. (154 of those bad boys). Next trip out, full loadout of SEALs (66 total) for mopup.
Just sayin.
Letters of Marque, basically authorizing “open season” on pirate vessels wherever and whenever found.
But blowing them out of the water is only one step, and it needs to be taken, but there is more.
Their ports, homes and sanctuaries (mostly in Puntland) need to get a feel for what it’s like when a modern US Navy Frigate cruises up, and places direct 5″38 and 20mm fire on your sorry, skinny asses for hours/days on end. And add to that, 2000lb JDAMS and any other type of direct/indirect fire weapons we care to utilize to solve this problem.
They use their ill gotten gains to build up their homes, personal wealth, ports and luxury items.
We need to turn all of that into smoking piles of shit, ASAP, with absolute ruthlessness.
No sanctuary…no mercy. And fuck world opinion.
If America is to pick up the Tab, we ought to be able to charge whoever goes through said waters, as fee for “services rendered” then waste no time finishing what was started in ’93
I think it’s a great idea to remind the illiterate bastards what the first instances of organized piracy against the US resulted in, specifically the Battle of Derne. I’m with Spigot here.
“ADDED: Mr Wolf writes to tell us that one of those pirates was “done” up close, SEAL-to-pirate.”
Yep…cold steel, probably used to perforate the skinny’s liver and kidney region, then withdrawn and applied to the area of his jugular/carotid, while a the knife welder held a vise like grip over the scrawny little bastard’s mouth.
I hope it hurt like a mother fucker…
Oh! So that’s what SEAL stands for!
Splenic
Esophogeal
Arterial
Lacerations
Fantastic!! (I’m having a little fun here…I know it’s something like Sea-Air-Land, or some such…)
Yes shoot on sight. Yes destroy shore facilities. Also follow the money stream. Those raggedy assed Somalis are not getting the lions share. In Europe, Saudi Arabia, Africa, etc are some fat smooth handed SOBs’ who are the shadow facilitators. Hunting them down and killing a few (extra judicial or not) would have a salutary effect.