SEALs seize rogue tanker in Med
According to the New York Times, an oil tanker flying the flag of North Korea, but disavowed by the Norks, was cruising the Mediterranean Sea looking for a buyer for it’s contents. The Libyan and Cypriot governments asked for help from the US to help gain control of the rogue ship, so the White House authorized an operation at about 10 PM yesterday and within a few hours SEALs seized control of the oil tanker and it’s crew;
The American intervention is a salvation to the fragile transitional government in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, which would have faced the loss of its main source of revenue and its sole source of political power if renegade militias succeeded in selling Libya’s oil. Despite days of furious bluster, the Libyan authorities were unable to stop the tanker from arriving in the eastern port of Sidra early last week or from leaving with the oil a few days later. The loss of control over oil revenue threatened the government so gravely that the transitional government appeared to teeter, with Parliament voting to remove its prime minister without any consensus on his long-term replacement.
From the Department of Defense press release;
“The boarding operation, approved by President Obama and conducted just after 10 p.m. EDT on March 16 in international waters southeast of Cyprus, was executed by a team of U.S. Navy SEALs attached to Special Operations Command Europe.
“The SEAL team embarked and operated from the guided missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG-80). USS Roosevelt provided helicopter support and served as a command and control and support platform for the other members of the force assigned to conduct the mission.
“The Morning Glory is carrying a cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company. The ship and its cargo were illicitly obtained from the Libyan port of As-Sidra.”
I guess the military folks in the Med are more available for operations these days than they were on September 11th, 2012. But according to both links, the US Navy will be returning the ship to the Libyan government. So this is no “war for oil”.
Category: Terror War
Let’s see if I got this right. SEALS for Libyan oil…check.
SEALS for the US Ambassador’s life…no go.
Okay, I got it. Obama is tracking right on target and program once again. Wonder if “this” makes a difference to Hillary now.
Priorities, Sparks – priorities.
Oil is apparently more important to the current Administration than the lives of US citizens.
Damn, considering how many times I heard that lie about the previous administration – I enjoyed writing that line.
Especially because now, it really seems to be the truth.
Just glad bodaprez has his priorities straight. (snarc)
Which is pretty impressive as liberals like to take care of their own and the diploweenies at state are among the liberal elite… it makes more sense that they wanted to use this as an excuse- especially since the terrorists knew exactly where the safe houses were…
I wonder how long it will be before the administration leaks the names of the Seal Team?
Sorry, I know better. That should read “SEAL Team.”
I wonder if the Libyans will give us a big thank you now with some discount oil prices?
Yea, I know, it’ll never happen. They’re still pissed about the First Barbary War and the Battle of Derne and that we got part of the Marine Hymn from the losers.
Will someone get Tim Morgan on the line? We need an expert opinion on how this went down…
Any minute now the first phony SEAL will pop up claiming to have been first to board that Nork ship.
As soon as I heard about this operation I was also thinking about how, according to President Mom-Jeans, we didn’t have any available assets to support our Ambassador to Libya or those serving alongside him.
More & more I believe that President Mom-Jeans was aware of what was about to come down, and that the Ambassador was set up to permanently remove any chance of him ever testifying about what I believe was an illegal arms deal with Syrian rebels and other groups.
The more I read, the more that becomes the only viable scenario.
V/R