Somalia

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Captain Rescued, 3 Pirates Killed
 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
 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

(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
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'

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

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

(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

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

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'

(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...

Somalia Piracy Hampers Food Aid: UN

Danger of hijacking has raised costs dramatically, WFP official says

(Newser) - Piracy off the coast of Somalia is making relief organizations' work even more difficult, Reuters reports. The UN’s World Food Program  today decried both the hijacking of ships bearing aid supplies—the Maersk Alabama, for example, had 232 WFP containers on board when it was seized this week—and...

As Ship Resumes Sailing, FBI Joins Pirate Negotiations

(Newser) - As FBI hostage negotiators joined the effort to end the standoff with Somali pirates over a captive American captain, the Maersk Alabama got under way today, bound for its original destination, the AP reports. An FBI spokesman said the bureau was “fully engaged” with the Navy in strategizing how...

Pirates in Navy Standoff Running Out of Options

Pirate lifeboat 'dead in the water' as warships close in

(Newser) - Four Somali pirates still holding a American captain hostage this morning are rapidly running out of options in their standoff with a US Navy warship, the AP reports. The pirates are in a lifeboat seized to replace their own vessel, floating hundreds of miles away from Somalia with enough food...

US Warship Arrives at Hijacking Site; Captain Still Held

(Newser) - A Navy warship and other vessels have arrived in the waters off Somalia where pirates are holding the American captain of a cargo ship hostage, CNN reports. The pirates and the captain are in a lifeboat as the cargo ship's American crew continues negotiations to free Capt. Richard Phillips of...

Crewmember: Pirates Still Have Ship's US Captain

(Newser) - The American crew of a ship hijacked by pirates today off northern Somalia has retaken control, though a crewmember says the vessel’s captain remains a hostage. The AP called a satellite phone aboard the Maersk Alabama, and was told by someone with an American accent that the 20-member crew...

Pirates Seize 21 Americans on Cargo Ship off Somalia

Sixth ship seizure in a week; first with all-American crew

(Newser) - After a sustained 5-hour attack off the coast of northern Somalia overnight, pirates have hijacked a US-flagged cargo ship with 21 crew members aboard, the BBC reports. A Kenya-based diplomat identified the vessel as the 17,000-ton Maersk Alabama, reports the AP, and said all the crew members are American....

Somali Pirates on Hijacking Spree, Capture 5 Ships

Somali pirates moving further afield to dodge naval patrols

(Newser) - Somali pirates operating in the Indian ocean are on a hijacking binge, reports the BBC, capturing 5 vessels since Saturday, including a British cargo ship this morning in the Gulf of Aden. AFP reports. The pirates are venturing further afield to avoid the increased international naval presence in the Gulf...

Latest Bin Laden Tape Targets Somali President

Oust leader for compromising with US, it says

(Newser) - An audio message allegedly from Osama bin Laden posted on the Internet today and entitled “Fight On, Champions of Somalia,” calls for Somalia's new president to be “dethroned, fought, and removed with armed force,” reports CNN. The elected Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed—who backtracked from a...

Terrorists Recruiting Somali-Americans in Heartland US

Counterterrorism agencies fear emergence of homegrown terror cells

(Newser) - US counter-terrorism agencies are warning of a mounting terror threat as Somali extremists linked to al-Qaeda recruit Americans, the Washington Post reports. Agencies are probing the disappearance of a number of young Somali-Americans now believed to be in Somalia, and cite the case of Shirwa Ahmed, who lived in Minneapolis...

Pirates Target Brit Cruise Ship

US Navy comes to rescue after suspicious craft approach liner in dangerous waters

(Newser) - Frightened British cruise ship passengers were herded below decks in a chilling encounter with Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, the Sun reports. The crew sent up flares and fashioned fake guns out of wood to appear to be armed when they spotted two suspicious small craft speeding toward...

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