Plague of Somali pirates continues. 5 ships taken over the weekend.

[SlowwHand]

I'm a firm believer in "take the shot".

[Patroklos]

I'm a firm believer in "take the shot".

If it had been at any other time than when we had offered quarter for the purpose of negotiating a surrender, then I would agree with you.

Like I said I wasn't the sniper observing the boat through my scope, pirates aren't exactly the most diciplined people and maybe they had decided to kill him, I just find the timing suspect.

[Asher]

The 4th pirate wasn't "negotiating". He was injured (had been slashed/stabbed in an altercation) and was only 15-19 years old, and he was basically surrendered and trying to convince the others to surrender.

[Zkribbler]

... I just find the timing suspect.

Me too.

If we had to kill, then fine. But there's no need to take life unless the pirates were actually planning on killing the captain...and I don't see any motivation for them doing that.

Latest word is the pirates on the mainland are promising "revenge." I haven't heard any details. I speculate that maybe the next time pirates take Americans capitive, three will be executed.

[Lord Avalon]

Per NYT article, pp. 2-3:

On one trip, one of the four pirates — whose hand had been gashed during the capture of Captain Phillips — asked for medical treatment and, in effect surrendering, was taken in the small boat to the Bainbridge. Justice Department officials were studying options for his case, including criminal charges in the United States or turning him over to Kenya, where dozens of pirates have faced prosecution. Three pirates were left on board with Captain Phillips.

Meanwhile, members of the Navy Seals were flown in by fixed-wing aircraft. They parachuted into the sea with inflatable boats and were picked up by the Bainbridge. On Sunday, the pirates, their fuel gone, were drifting toward the Somali coast. They agreed to accept a tow from the Bainbridge, the senior officials said. At first, the towline was 200 feet long, but as darkness gathered and seas became rough, the towline was shortened to 100 feet, the officials said. It was unclear if this was done with the pirates’ knowledge.

At dusk, a single tracer bullet was seen fired from the lifeboat. The intent was unclear, but it ratcheted up the tension and Seal snipers at the stern rail of the Bainbridge fixed night-vision scopes to their high-powered rifles, getting ready for action.

What they saw was the head and shoulders of two of the pirates emerging from the rear hatch of the lifeboat. Through the window of the front hatch they saw the third pirate, pointing his AK-47 at the back of Captain Phillips, who was seen to be tied up.

That was it: the provocation that fulfilled the president’s order to act only if the captain’s life was in imminent danger, and the opportunity of having clear shots at each captor. The order was given. Senior defense officials, themselves marveling at the skill of the snipers, said each took a target and fired one shot.

One shot, one kill

[The Mad Monk]

Then we ensure no survivors on that boat.

[Zoid]

Why not set up a naval blockade off the somalian coast? Any ships nearing the blockade will be sunk. You have been warned!

[Patroklos]

The 4th pirate wasn't "negotiating". He was injured (had been slashed/stabbed in an altercation) and was only 15-19 years old, and he was basically surrendered and trying to convince the others to surrender.

Interesting information, that is not what I heard on NPR when coming into work this morning.

Why not set up a naval blockade off the somalian coast? Any ships nearing the blockade will be sunk. You have been warned!

Somali pirate "ships" look just like the small boats and vessels used by Somali fishermen.

[Zkribbler]

Why not set up a naval blockade off the somalian coast?

Because Somalia has the longest coastline on the continent. It'd take a lot of ships. And do you really want to be blamed for cutting off trade to one of the poorest nations in the world?

[Zoid]

Hmm, I see your point. Damn!

[Asher]

Interesting information, that is not what I heard on NPR when coming into work this morning.

This is far from the first time I have schooled you on US military matters.

[Zkribbler]

...

Spike Plans Reality Show on Navy Pirate Hunters

NEW YORK – Barely a day after the daring rescue of an American sea captain, cable TV's Spike announced a deal Monday to produce a show about U.S. Navy pirate hunters.

Two crews for 44 Blue Productions hope to be on board Navy vessels patrolling in the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Africa within two weeks. The company is aiming to have a series ready to put on the air by September, said Rasha Drachkovitch, 44 Blue's president and founder.

He'd been talking to the Navy about the idea for three months, but it was finished late last week while the standoff with pirates who had taken Capt. Richard Phillips hostage was going on.

"We had no idea if last week's events would actually kill the deal or seal the deal," said Sharon Levy, Spike's senior vice president for original series.

Drachkovitch said he thought the Navy would put the project on hold, yet instead the Phillips incident seemed to accelerate things. Commander Robert K. Anderson, Navy spokesman on the deal, said the agreement had essentially been made before the U.S. ship was attacked.

Spike has been looking for a companion piece to one of its most popular series, "DEA," which follows federal drug enforcers making their rounds. 44 Blue, which makes action-oriented series like "Lockup" for MSNBC and "LA Gang Unit" for A&E, was the first of several producers who had contacted the Navy as reports of piracy began to surface.

Following the work of Navy personnel on this mission is the sort of action Spike craves, Levy said. The cable channel targets young male viewers aged 18 to 34, potentially making "Pirate Hunters: USN" a strong recruiting tool for the Navy.

"That's the Spike demographic and (recruiting) is a factor," Anderson said. "We also have a responsibility to inform the American public about what we are doing."

Spike will have access to dozens of Navy cameras along with its own for making the series, Drachkovitch said. Like similar reality series, it's his job to find the characters and stories to focus upon.

It's unclear what kind of access the production crew would have to confrontations similar to what happened with Phillips. It depends upon what the commanding officer is comfortable with, Anderson said.

"I'm sure if something like this happens, we'll be at arm's length until something like this is resolved," Drachkovitch said. "But we hope to be able to get as good a seat as anybody else."

[Dr Strangelove]

AFAIK the pirates are based on the coast of "Puntland", the northern part of Somalia's Indian Ocean Coast. That somewhat narrows down the area that would have to be patrolled. We could declare that any Somalian vessel found to be armed would be siezed, but then we have a problem that we don't wat to give them a chance to carry out an attack on one of our vessels like the attack on the USS Cole. Ideally we'd approach them with small vessels backed up by bigger ones. It would be kinda cool if we had a Kevlar protected small boat able to withstand AK-47 fire that could be used to approach their small boats.

[KrazyHorse]

Why would you have to be afraid of suicide boat attack? The pirates have shown no inclination to do anything other than extort money. They're not interested in dying for the cause.

[Zkribbler]

...because al Qaeda is reconstituting itself in Somalia?