Land Attacks on Pirates Questioned

[unhappycamper]

Land Attacks on Pirates Questioned
December 12, 2008
Associated Press

MANAMA, Bahrain - The commander of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet expressed doubt Friday about the wisdom of launching attacks against Somali pirates on land - a proposal the U.S. is circulating to the U.N. Security Council.

U.S. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney told reporters that striking pirate camps presents problems because it is difficult to identify them and the potential for killing innocent civilians "cannot be overestimated."

In a wide-ranging interview at his 5th Fleet headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, Gortney said that such strikes are an effort to go for an easy military solution to a problem.

He said the better solutions are to improve the security, stability and government in Somalia, and to clear up legal hurdles so that militaries that capture pirates can detain them and bring them to trial.

Currently, most foreign navies patrolling the Somali coast have been reluctant to detain suspects because of uncertainties over where they would face trial, since Somalia has no effective central government or legal system.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/land-attacks-on-pirates-questioned.html?col=1186032311124



uhc comment: "an easy military solution to a problem" = bomb the shit out of them and kill as many as you can. Gimmeafuckingbreak. The easy military solution would be to stay out.

[HelenWheels]

1. the military is the problem not the solution

The way I understand it is the big oil ships have killed off the fishing fields used by the Somalies. These men are desperate to feed their families. They need some way they can work so they can take care of their families. I heard one of the captured pirates interviewed who had received a life sentence for piracy. He said if he ever got free he would go right back to piracy as fishing is no longer possible.
Have the pirates killed a lot of people? I personally don't have a big problem with them taking over an oil tanker and selling the oil for profit. Especially if it is Saudi oil.