Somalia – News Stories About Somalia - Page 13

Navies Must Band Together
to Fight Piracy: Experts

Apr 13, 2009 2:19 PM CDT

Navies Must Band Together to Fight Piracy: Experts

To beat back bandits, navies need cohesive international strategy

(Newser) - If EU and NATO leaders are serious about ending Somali piracy, they need to develop a coordinated strategy, say experts. Patrolling the high seas and protecting merchant ships has long been an individual effort among states, Time reports, but with piracy on a precipitous rise—there have already been 65...

Slain Pirates Were
'Untrained Teenagers': US

Apr 13, 2009 2:17 PM CDT

Slain Pirates Were 'Untrained Teenagers': US

They were young men 'with heavy arms:' Gates

(Newser) - Capt. Richard Phillips’ captors were young men new to high-seas crime, AFP reports. The Somali pirates, aged 17-19, were “untrained teenagers with heavy weapons,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today, adding that Somalia needs “something on land that begins to change the equation for these kids.”...

Somali Insurgents Fire at
US Congressman's Plane

Apr 13, 2009 1:10 PM CDT

Somali Insurgents Fire at US Congressman's Plane

Three killed in following skirmish, locals say

(Newser) - Somali insurgents fired mortars at a Somalia airport as a US congressman was departing, the AP reports. None of the six shells hit the airport, and New Jersey Rep. Donald Payne made it away safely—but 19 civilians were wounded when the shells landed in nearby neighborhoods, a hospital administrator...

Obama Pledges to Stop Pirates

Apr 13, 2009 1:03 PM CDT

Obama Pledges to Stop Pirates

Use of force could deter further attacks: Pentagon

(Newser) - President Obama pledged to halt the increasing threat of piracy off the Horn of Africa as he praised the military's successful attempt to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips. "I'm very proud of the efforts of the US military," the president said in his first public remarks on the five-day...

US Military May Strike
Pirates on Land

Apr 13, 2009 10:27 AM CDT

US Military May Strike Pirates on Land

In Jefferson's time, US hit land bases

(Newser) - One way for the US to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden is to cut it off at the source, targeting Somali pirate land bases. Coupled with economic and food aid for Somalia’s citizens, this plan is the only “silver-bullet solution,” an analyst tells Bloomberg. Such...

Pirate Hunters Coming to TV

Apr 13, 2009 9:35 AM CDT

Pirate Hunters Coming to TV

Series will follow warship involved in recent standoff

(Newser) - Yesterday's daring rescue of Captain Richard Phillips seems like made-for-TV drama—at least to Spike TV. The network has greenlighted a pilot for a series documenting the US Navy’s fight against pirates in the Gulf of Aden, where Phillips’ rescue took place, Variety reports. One of the warships at...

It's Time to Shoot Some Pirates

OPINION

Apr 13, 2009 8:17 AM CDT

It's Time to Shoot Some Pirates

(Newser) - Captain Richard Phillips has been rescued, and that’s good news. “But it remains a scandal that Somali pirates continue to routinely defeat the world’s naval powers,” writes Fred Iklé in the Washington Post. The pirates are surely funneling money to terrorists, Iklé surmises, and our failure...

Should Ship Crews be Armed?

Apr 13, 2009 7:52 AM CDT

Should Ship Crews be Armed?

Piracy danger raises old questions

(Newser) - Amid the latest wave of piracy off Somalia, experts are once again questioning whether commercial ships’ crews should be armed, the New York Times reports. Ship owners had been against the idea, fearing liability and worrying that armed crews might be killed by pirates, rather than taken hostage. But increased...

Somali Pirates Vow Revenge

Apr 13, 2009 6:11 AM CDT

Somali Pirates Vow Revenge

Defiant pirate captain threatens to target American shipping

(Newser) - Somali pirates have sworn to avenge their colleagues killed in the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips yesterday. A pirate commander told AFP that the men had been killed after agreeing to hand over Phillips without ransom, and vowed that American citizens traveling at sea in Somali waters—and further afield—...

Piracy Jacks Up
Insurance, Fuel Costs

Apr 13, 2009 12:42 AM CDT

Piracy Jacks Up Insurance, Fuel Costs

Entering high-risk areas or navigating around South Africa both add millions

(Newser) - Piracy in the Gulf of Aden is driving up shipping costs as companies are forced to choose between paying higher insurance or taking longer routes, the AP reports. Premiums have reportedly risen at least tenfold for travel near the Somali coast, and avoiding the Gulf of Aden by navigating around...

Captain Rescued,
3 Pirates Killed

UPDATED

Apr 12, 2009 2:33 PM CDT

Captain Rescued, 3 Pirates Killed

Captain uninjured after brief firefight

(Newser) - The American sea captain held hostage by Somali pirates has been rescued after a brief firefight, with three of his captors killed and one in military custody, CNN reports. US Navy snipers saw a pirate with "an AK-47 leveled at the captain's back" and opened fire, a military...

Pirate Boat Drifts Toward Coast

Apr 12, 2009 6:17 AM CDT

Pirate Boat Drifts Toward Coast

Stalled talks to continue after a day

(Newser) - The lifeboat carrying American captain Richard Phillips has drifted within 20 miles of the Somali coast, where US military officials fear the pirates might escape with their hostage, reports Reuters. US warships continue to track the craft, as negotiations with the pirates over Phillips have been postponed by one day,...

Talks Collapse With Pirates,
Who Fire on US Navy Boat

Apr 11, 2009 7:37 PM CDT

Talks Collapse With Pirates, Who Fire on US Navy Boat

(Newser) - Negotiations between Somali elders and US officials broke down today over the return of American captain Richard Phillips, who is still being held by pirates on the Indian Ocean, the New York Times reports. Talks collapsed when the elders demanded that Somali authorities let the pirates go in exchange for...

Somali Pirates Strike Again, Seize Tugboat

UPDATED

Apr 11, 2009 10:11 AM CDT

Somali Pirates Strike Again, Seize Tugboat

(Newser) - A little international publicity won't deter Somali pirates. Hijackers seized a tugboat in the Gulf of Aden today, the AP reports. The vessel is Italian-owned—initial reports said American—and at least 10 of its 16 crew members are Italian. The tugboat had been towing two barges off Somalia's...

Pirates Warn US Raid
Would 'Create Disaster'

Apr 11, 2009 6:35 AM CDT

Pirates Warn US Raid Would 'Create Disaster'

Somalis plan to transfer Capt. Phillips to bigger boat

(Newser) - Somali pirates holding an American captain hostage in a lifeboat are hoping to transfer him to another pirate ship in the area to thwart rescue efforts like the French commando raid that freed some hostages, but left one dead, along with two pirates, AFP reports. "We are getting information...

Pirate Hostage Dies
as French Rescue 4

Apr 10, 2009 2:52 PM CDT

Pirate Hostage Dies as French Rescue 4

Operation successfully rescues four others

(Newser) - French forces rescued four hostages from a yacht held by pirates off the coast of Somalia, but one hostage was killed during today's operation, the BBC reports. Two couples and a child were on a yacht captured by pirates last week in the Gulf of Aden. The child was among...

Pirates Want $2M Ransom,
Threaten to Kill Captain

Apr 10, 2009 1:39 PM CDT

Pirates Want $2M Ransom, Threaten to Kill Captain

(Newser) - Somali pirates holding an American ship captain hostage say they want a $2 million ransom and have threatened to kill him, Reuters and the AP report. The ransom demand followed an escape attempt by Richard Phillips, who attempted to swim for safety early this morning. Reports conflict on what happened...

Showdown Looms: Pirate
Ships Head to Hijacking Site

Apr 10, 2009 8:44 AM CDT

Showdown Looms: Pirate Ships Head to Hijacking Site

Previously-captured boats carry 54 international hostages

(Newser) - As bandits hold a US captain on a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean, their pirate colleagues are rushing to their aid with an international gallery of hostages, the AP reports. The bandits apparently fear being shot or arrested if they hand over the captain and are hoping to get support...

Captain Recaptured by Pirates
After Swim Escape Attempt

updated

Apr 10, 2009 6:51 AM CDT

Captain Recaptured by Pirates After Swim Escape Attempt

Family say hostage captain's sense of humor could keep him alive

(Newser) - The American captain held hostage by Somali pirates jumped into the ocean last night and tried to swim to a nearby Navy destroyer, but pirates swam after him and pulled him back, CNN reports. He was not believed to be harmed in the attempt, a US official said. The four...

Captain 'Offered
Himself as the Hostage'

Apr 9, 2009 9:01 PM CDT

Captain 'Offered Himself as the Hostage'

(Newser) - The high-seas hostage situation rolls on, with a growing armada of US vessels on site or en route and negotiations continuing between the pirates and the Navy, assisted by the FBI. The four bandits, adrift in a 24-foot lifeboat with the American captain, sound desperate: "We are surrounded by...