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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
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 OPINION 
3

Tired of Pirate Attacks? Time to Call Blackwater

US forces aren't coming, Shippers need to hire their own army

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(Newser) – Somali hijackers have free rein around the Horn of Africa, and neither the US nor any other nation has a prayer of stopping them with their ineffectual patrols. What to do? Call in the troops—or, more precisely, the fomer troops, writes Peter Hannaford in the American Spectator. Namely, Blackwater. Shipping nations have no choice now but to hire private escorts, and there's none better than the group known for its tough tactics in Iraq.

Commercial ships are rarely armed because of port laws and insurance fears. Blackwater, on the other hand, is no group of Boy Scouts. It has former SEALS on the payroll, a 183-foot ship, and a willingness to shoot to kill if fired upon. "Once hired by a shipping firm, Blackwater will seek to get pirates to understand that instant death could be an occupational hazard of piracy."

Yemen coast guards inspect a ship carrying goats from Somalia while patrolling coastal waters off Aden, Yemen. Yemen coast guard said seven Somali suspected pirates have been arrested.
Yemen coast guards inspect a ship carrying goats from Somalia while patrolling coastal waters off Aden, Yemen. Yemen coast guard said seven Somali suspected pirates have been arrested.   (AP Photo)
Forces belonging to the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, a region in northeastern Somalia, guard captured Somali pirates in Bassaso, Somalia.
Forces belonging to the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, a region in northeastern Somalia, guard captured Somali pirates in Bassaso, Somalia.   (AP Photo)
Pictured here are three crew members of the Greek vessel Centauri, hijacked by Somalia pirates off the Somali coast and released Thursday Nov. 27, 2008.
Pictured here are three crew members of the Greek vessel Centauri, hijacked by Somalia pirates off the Somali coast and released Thursday Nov. 27, 2008.   (AP Photo)
A Russian frigate makes its way through the Suez canal. Blackwater Worldwide and other private security firms are joining the battle against pirates plaguing the coast of Somalia.
A Russian frigate makes its way through the Suez canal. Blackwater Worldwide and other private security firms are joining the battle against pirates plaguing the coast of Somalia.   (AP Photo)
Plainclothes contractors working for Blackwater USA take part in a firefight in the Iraqi city of Najaf in 2004. Blackwater hires former SEALS and other ex-special forces members.
Plainclothes contractors working for Blackwater USA take part in a firefight in the Iraqi city of Najaf in 2004. Blackwater hires former SEALS and other ex-special forces members.   (AP Photo)
Two Somalians arrested by Yemen coast guard last September, Arafat Ahmed Wa'es, right, and Yusef Mohammed Saeed, left, talk in al Mansurah jail in Aden.
Two Somalians arrested by Yemen coast guard last September, Arafat Ahmed Wa'es, right, and Yusef Mohammed Saeed, left, talk in al Mansurah jail in Aden.   (AP Photo)
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Once hired by a shipping firm, Blackwater will seek to get pirates to understand that instant death could be an occupational hazard of piracy - Peter Hannaford, on the consequences of bringing in an outside force to restore order to international shipping lanes

Other than patrols of a stretch of ocean four times the size of Texas, commercial ships in the area are on their own unless they sign up with a private service such as Blackwater. - Peter Hannaford

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3 comments
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Greatbear100
Dec 11, 08 7:21 PM CST
Piracy was not tolerated in the past and should not be accepted today. Every nation with naval power can patrol designated areas and even use modern technology to seek and destroy these pirates while other nations, especially oil exporting nations, can fund the initiative to keep the sea free. Reply
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Reader2700
Dec 11, 08 9:22 PM CST
Yes, we must keep those middle eastern oil companies safe - after all, it's really OUR oil, isn't it? Reply
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IN RESPONSE:
FreedomMonkie
Dec 12, 08 4:18 AM CST
What do you mean 'we', you don't own Blackwater shares or do you?
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