Somali “Pirate” Wanted US Protection: He’s 16 Years Old

Of the four Somali terrorists in a life boat holding US Captain Phillips hostage, three are dead. Captain Phillips is alive and free and well. As is a fourth ‘pirate.’

Prior to the US action to free the Captain with firepower, the fourth “pirate” who for reasons yet unclear at the time of this first reporting, appears to have been aboard the US Navy ship Bainbridge. He reportedly was stabbed (UPDATE CORRECTION, original said ‘US sailor’) in the hand by a Maersk Alabama sailor during the hostile boarding of same**

On the Bainbridge, the fourth ‘pirate’ reportedly did not want to be returned to the boat where Captain was still being held. He is said to be 16 years old.

Stay tuned, for surely the rest of this story will continue to come up like invisible writing held over steam.

Some background of child “soldiers” in Somalia, another foolish name for what is really: kidnapped children pressed into slavery by the military.

DATELINE
January 12, 2007

There’s word Friday from aid agencies that children are being used as child soldiers in Somalia. UNICEF and Save the Children are calling on armed groups to release any children from their ranks or detention centers.

As for child soldiers, Balslev-Olesen says, “We have during the past month of conflict unfortunately seen and documented situations where children have been forced out of schools to join the militia of the ICU (Islamic Courts Union). We have reports of warlords…coming back to places in Somalia. We are seeing the bad habits of the past that children are part of the militia of the warlords. We have heard about children being detained. We have a number of cases where families with children have not been able to cross into Kenya to become refugees.”

DATELINE
2008
Here is a short list of organizations that treat former child soldiers and child victims of war in Somalia. There are quite a few more. Recently it is reported that over 3000 child soldiers arrived in Somalia who were captured there and in surrounds earlier. They are said to have been trained in Ethiopia, a country which has in other lights, been cooperative with trying to help stamp out such treachery.

Due to terrorist situation in Somalia, many of the kidnapped and enslaved child organizations might no longer be operating.

Somalia Child Soldier Relief Organization – Somalia. Mission is to improve the living conditions of Somali children affected by the civil war. Even though the organization shares the same values and goals of other international child soldier organizations, it’s primary aim is to assist these children long before they are coerced to take up arms.

Dadihiye Somali Development Organisation Somali Youth Empowerment Support (SYES)- United Kingdom. Supports the unaccompanied Somali minors and young people effected by sweeping changes to the lives of many young Somali Children who were traumatised by the Somali civil war, and may have no immediate families in the UK.

Elam Child Soldier Rehabilitation Project- Somalia. A program designed to reintegrate former child soldiers by providing vocational training, assistance in building conflict resolution skills, and psychological counseling.

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UPDATE:
Richard Phillips, the captain who was rescued, is not a US Navy officer, but rather a captain, employed by Maersk. The MV Maersk Alabama was boarded by Somali “pirates” April 8, 2009, and Phillips was taken hostage. He was rescued on April 12, 2009 after Navy SEALs killed all three bandits who were still aboard their craft. One of the bandits injured in the attempted hijacking, had previously gone onboard the USS Bainbridge for medical treatment. He was officialy taken into custody after the rescue. Phillips is reportedly currently onboard the USS Boxerunder medical observation.

**a commenter in section below, provided a link to the following brief below, saying a crew member on the hship Maersk Alabama, had stabbed one of the terrorists in the hand during the takeover. It should be noted that the facts continue to trickle in and one might assume for the moment that the crew on the vessel the captain was highjacked from –those referenced below– had already been debriefed over the last few days by US. The captain’s ship was a freighter.

With the ship docked, the media stood on land, and asked questioned [sic] of crew members who stood on the edge of the ship.
One such crew member was ATM Reza of Hartford, Connecticut. He described the situation as it unfolded when the pirates boarded the Maersk Alabama.
“I take one pirate to the engine room,” Reza said. “And I stabbed him in his hand.”