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

By: Captain Phillips Safe and the Fourth Pirate

Captain Phillips Safe and the Fourth Pirate — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 08:02:57 +0000

[...] treatment, but how will the international community react? And now we know that he’s 16 and legally a minor if he was a [...]

By: Dealing With Somali Piracy

Dealing With Somali Piracy — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:56:04 +0000

[...] Although Maersk Alabama captain Richard Phillips has been freed by the U. S. Navy from the Somali pirates who’d held him captive for several days and the issue of piracy off the coast of Somalia has caught the attention of the American people, the matter is far from over. There will be after action reports, debriefings, and, no doubt, investigations. It’s my understanding that the FBI has impounded the Maersk Alabama and is treating it as a crime scene. Although three of Capt. Phillips’s captors were killed in the rescue, one is in the custody of the United States. There will undoubtedly be a lengthy trial and, possibly, incarceration, although it has been suggested that in the case of the fourth pirate there may be extenuating circumstances. [...]

By: pHDependentNeoCon2

pHDependentNeoCon2 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:25:07 +0000

Dr. E.,

Perhaps to help clarify the issue, some links in your post (to the news websites that report that the pirate was stabbed about a U.S. Navy vessel) are warranted. In my previous comment, I provide a link to a credible news source which challenges this assertion (and which, IMHO, seems much more plausible).

By: archangel

archangel — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:52:46 +0000

phDependentNeoCon, I will post your remark at the end of the article. I am not sure yet that the details can be verified… the report I heard on cable news was that he was, I think the exact word, was 'lured,' into port side room and a scuffle ensued. This is why you will see in my opening, 'it is said' and 'it has been reported.' My experience in covering breaking stories of military action is that there is a fog around the facts for a time… and later, there will come more clarity. My husband is USAF 21 years, and was in public affairs for half that time, so I hope we will hear an official version from HQ soon.

By: pHDependentNeoCon

pHDependentNeoCon — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:20:59 +0000

I think you have to correct an important factual error within your post; the pirate was not aboard a U.S. Navy vessel when he was stabbed. Instead, he was stabbed in the hand by one of the crew of the ship that he helped hijack...sort of different. Do you actually believe that the U.S. Navy is so undisciplined as to allow for such treatment of prisoners?

http://www.necn.com/node/32486

By: liza

liza — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:03:28 +0000

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

THIS!