American sharpshooters raided pirates and the American captain was successfully rescued.
This photo released by the U.S. Navy on April 12 shows Richard phillips (right), an American captain who was hijacked by Somali pirates, posing with a commander of a U.S. Navy ship after his release.
Xinhua News Agency/Midland
On April 12th, the sharpshooter of the US Navy SEALs instantly killed three Somali pirates and successfully rescued Richard phillips, the American captain of the Maersk Alabama, who had been held hostage for four days.
While the United States is cheering, the international community is also generally worried that the U.S. military rescue may make Somali pirates take revenge and become more vigilant and ferocious in future ship hijacking.
The rescued captain was unscathed.
A statement issued by the US Navy said that after being rescued, Phillips was quickly sent to the US guided missile destroyer "bainbridge", bathed, changed into clean clothes and then transferred to the amphibious assault ship "Boxer".
In a conference call with the American media, the commander of the naval forces of the US Central Command stationed in Bahrain said that after examination by military doctors, Phillips was in good health and had no obvious trauma. During the hijacking, Phillips was tied up in a lifeboat most of the time.
Phillips immediately called Andrea, his wife at home, to report that she was safe.
According to Phillips’ family spokesman Mai Connell, "Andrea was always cheerful when she talked to her husband on the phone. She boasted that her husband’s humor has not changed and his mental state is very good. "
On behalf of the Phillips family, Mai Connell also thanked "all the American people for their support": "It was your support that helped this family through the most difficult time."
Phillips also telephoned the company to which the freighter belongs, and thanked all those involved in the rescue operation.
Also excited is the 19 crew members of the Maersk Alabama, which is berthing in Mombasa, Kenya.
When they learned that the captain who gave his life to save them four days ago had been safely rescued, the crew immediately rushed to the deck of the cargo ship, waved the American flag, set off fireworks and blew the whistle three times to celebrate.
A crew member praised the captain and said, "He is one of the bravest men I have ever met! He is an American hero! "
US President Barack Obama personally approved the action.
This military rescue operation was carried out after the personal approval of US President Barack Obama.
After the operation was successful, Obama called Phillips himself and his wife separately at the first time.
Obama said on the phone: "My countrymen and I are proud of your bravery and selflessness. Your bravery is an example to all Americans. "
Obama also praised the American soldiers for their brave rescue of the captain.
The rescue operation is comparable to "Hollywood blockbuster"
For the details of this armed rescue operation, senior US officials praised it as a "Hollywood blockbuster".
US President Barack Obama convened a meeting of senior Pentagon officials and presidential military advisers at the White House on the 10th to discuss how to rescue Phillips who was taken hostage.
After careful discussion, Obama agreed with the generals’ suggestion that once "the situation is out of control", American special forces stationed on American warships can take military action against pirates.
Lieutenant General William E. Gottney, commander of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, confirmed that Obama ordered on the same day that once Phillips’ life was in "immediate danger", the US special forces on the scene could take action.
In fact, the US special forces at the scene have already made various preparations for armed rescue.
Since Phillips was taken hostage, whenever Somali pirates asked for it, the US special forces responded to it-sending small boats to deliver food and drink to Phillips and four Somali pirates, as well as providing medicines and changed clothes. A few days later, Somali pirates and special forces established a "trust relationship". They also relaxed their guard against the US military.
Three "seal" sharpshooters fired at the same time.
On the evening of the 12th, the local sea conditions turned sharply. After consulting with the pirates, the American troops aboard the bainbridge decided to tow the lifeboat carrying Phillips and four pirates to the relatively calm waters. On the grounds of "ensuring safety", the US military pulled the lifeboat originally tied about 50 meters behind the ship to about 25 to 30 meters.
At around 19: 00, one of the pirates boarded the "bainbridge" to continue negotiations with the US military.
The American army told the pirate that they had no choice but to release Phillips immediately.
At this moment, the commander on the bainbridge found that Phillips suddenly stood up and walked to one side of the lifeboat, as if to relieve himself, while the three pirates completely exposed their heads and shoulders on the other side of the lifeboat. What made the commander nervous was that one of the pirates suddenly picked up the AK-47 submachine gun in his hand and aimed at Phillips’ back for shooting.
The commander on the "bainbridge" concluded that pirates might shoot Phillips! We must act immediately!
Three SEAL commandos who were ambushing on the bridge of bainbridge opened fire at the same time. Three pirates fell down.
Obama: "Bring all those who commit piracy to justice"
After the rescue operation, Obama also issued a statement saying that the struggle against pirates will not end there: "We must resolutely stop the rise of pirates in the region. In order to achieve this goal, we must continue to work with our partners to stop pirate attacks. We are always ready to take decisive action to bring all those who commit piracy to justice. "
Many people in American political circles agree with Obama’s tough approach.
Senator Tom coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, said that the United States must never give in to pirates. "We must be tough on pirates. This means that we can’t give in to their threats or allow them to do whatever they want. "
Senator Ivan Baye also agreed: "We must make pirates pay a heavy price for their criminal acts. Only in this way will they have concerns. "
"Solving the piracy problem is an international problem"
On April 13th, ABC put forward a difficult problem that everyone has been thinking about: How can we really and effectively stop the criminal acts of Somali pirates?
The Danish cargo ship "Maersk Alabama" with the American flag was hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean waters more than 400 kilometers away from Somalia at about 7: 30 am local time on the 8 th. There are 20 American crew members on board.
Although the crew soon regained control of the situation, Captain Phillips was taken to a lifeboat by pirates. This is the first time that the United States has been hijacked by pirates in 200 years.
The US military sent two warships to the sea where the captain was hijacked to participate in the rescue operation.
Somalia has been at war since 1991, and piracy is rampant in coastal areas. According to statistics, there were hundreds of pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia last year. More than 40 foreign ships were hijacked and more than 600 crew members were robbed.
The US military admits that the piracy problem cannot be completely solved by military means alone.
Courtney, commander of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, said that about 130 suspected pirates have been charged in the past three months due to the intensified crackdown by navies of various countries. However, this did not "play a role in reducing pirate attacks." Pirates began to avoid the Gulf of Aden, which was the focus of national navies, and moved south to the Indian Ocean.
Courtney believes that pirates come from "areas with imperfect legal system, lack of government management and economic turmoil".
General Ted Allen, commander of the US Coast Guard, admitted that solving the piracy problem is an international problem. Although many people have suggested that arming the crew of merchant ships is a feasible means to prevent piracy, "if you do this, it will bring a series of problems." For example, how to arm the crew? Under what circumstances can I fight back? In fact, most shipowners and shipping companies that have consulted us on this issue do not agree with the practice of arming the crew, because it will only cause more trouble. "
Kaji Larson, a former US Navy SEAL commando, said that the piracy problem is not easy to solve. "I am very happy that the captain is finally safe this time. But this may make Somali pirates more vigilant and more brutal. In future pirate hijackings, armed pirates may shoot hostages at the slightest sign of trouble. "
"Americans have become our number one enemy"
Somali pirates claim to retaliate against the United States. A pirate told the Associated Press, "Americans have become our number one enemy … Americans will definitely cry for their people being killed next time."
Adeby Gillard, another Somali pirate leader, called AFP and said, "The American swindlers killed our friends even though we agreed not to ransom them and release the hostages. I want to tell you, we want revenge! We will especially search for Americans passing through our waters! They won’t get our forgiveness next time! "
On the 13th, US Democratic Congressman Donald Payne was attacked by several mortar shells at the airport when he was about to leave after a short visit to Mogadishu, the Somali capital, causing at least three injuries, but Payne was not injured.
"Take pirates directly back to the United States for disposal."
For the sake of "going backwards", the U.S. Fifth Fleet revealed that the fourth pirate who was negotiating on the U.S. warship at the time of the rescue operation was also detained on the Boxer, and his physical condition was "good" and he was very cooperative. The U.S. Department of Justice will decide the fate of the pirate: whether to take him back to the United States for trial for attacking an American ship or hand him over to the Somali government for trial.
However, some American officials have claimed that according to international law, the US Navy has the right to detain pirates they arrested at sea. There is no extradition treaty between America and Somalia. Therefore, the United States can directly take pirates back to the United States for disposal without having to negotiate with any country.
It is reported that the U.S. Department of Justice is considering charging the captured Somali pirate who participated in the hijacking of the captain.
Editor: Zhang Renhe