Quote from bugscoe:
13 Apr 2009 13:17:47 GMT
Source: Reuters
MOGADISHU, April 13 (Reuters) - Somali insurgents fired mortars towards U.S. congressman Donald Payne as he left the Somali capital on a rare visit by a U.S. politician to the anarchic Horn of Africa nation, police said.
"One mortar landed at the airport when Payne's plane was due to fly and five others after he left and no one was hurt," Abukar Hassan, a police officer at Mogadishu airport, told Reuters. (Reporting by Ibrahim Mohamed; Writing by Jack Kimball; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Boys, this game is just gettin started.
Quote from hughb:
It's embarrassing as hell. The most powerful navy in the world being punked out by a rag-tag band of pirates. They don't even need a SEAL team to handle it, any of the surface ships regular boarding parties could do the job. At least they USED to....
Quote from Cutten:
You really think it is beyond the power of the USA to eliminate this pirate threat?
Quote from AAAintheBeltway:
From a report:
"NBC television and CBS radio said the lifeboat had drifted to within 20 miles of the Somali coast, and that U.S. military officials feared that if the craft reached the shore, the pirates might escape with their hostage on land."
Are you kidding me? They would let it drift to shore and just let the pirates waltz away with their hostage? I think the navy needs to get the FBI out of there and put some SEALs in charge. Get a line on that lifeboat and tow it where ever they want it. I can't believe the navy guys are this clueless. This thing is being moicromanaged from the White House. Maybe Jimmy Carter is handling it.
Quote from Landis82:
Kind of difficult for the lifeboat and pirates to be allowed to "drift to shore" when conditions in the sea deteriorated this weekend and:
"the Navy talked the pirates into allowing the boat to be towed to calmer water and talked one of the pirates into coming on board the Bainbridge to negotiate.
The Navy apparently brought the boat to within 40 yards of its fantail.
In other words, the lifeboat was TETHERED to the USS Bainbridge and not drifting towards shore.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=7321378&page=3