Official: Captain Richard Phillips Freed
The Associated Press reports that a senior intelligence official says that captain Richard Phillips was freed unharmed earlier today. U.S. marines attacked the pirates holding the captain, killed three of the four, and freed the American hostage.
Phillips was safely brought aboard of a U.S. warship nearby.
Earlier today, A government official and others in Somali with knowledge of the situation said negotiations about Phillips’ release broke down. The pirates demanded $2 million in ransom. The U.S. could not agree to such a deal, for paying it once means you will have to pay it again. Crime cannot be rewarded, let alone encouraged.
The American operation came a day after French marines took on other pirates who had hijacked a French ship. The French assault was reasonably successful: three hostages were freed, one sadly died, two pirates were killed. That was not a fantastic result, but it was not horrible either.
U.S. marines did an even better job. The hostage was freed, three of the four pirates were killed, the other wounded. A better result was not possible.
The news is fantastic news for Phillips, the navy, everybody who cares about fate of innocent human beings, and, of course, for President Barack Obama, who was criticized in recent days for a perceived “failure to act.” If the operation had gone wrong, Obama would have been in trouble. Now, however, he appears reasonable yet decisive; tough and capable.
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This is great news!
Pedicaris alive or Raisuli dead! (“Both” is also acceptable.)
Sounds like they suckered them in close for “negotiation” and prepared and hoped for opportunities, which duly presented themselves.
Those pirates should have read the Navy Jackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Navy_Jack on the Bainbridge. It’s not there just for decoration.
Second Michael M’s sentiment – good news!
Even if the op had gone south, it would still have been better for Obama to have acted than to have done nothing.
I’m glad we don’t have to have that discussion, tho.
Yup, this is all good news. Pretty sad that people capable of moral lives turned into kidnappers, thieves, thugs and worse but that’s just the flexibility and malleability of the human mind.
Decisive? The bloke jumped into the water for the second time… and only then did the marines shoot the pirates, acting under their own initiative.
The fact is, it’s pathetic that the Navy was told to wait so long. And they were not told to stop waiting either.
Well done- kudos all around to the Navy Seals and to their Commander in Chief, and to the heroic actions of the Captain.
US Marines were on the other ship that had not arrived yet. The pirates were killed by US Navy SEAL snipers (entirely different from Marines). Nice fact checking.