One killed, four freed in French rescue mission

[Darsh]

AFP - A hostage was killed and four others, including a child, were freed on Friday after French troops stormed a yacht seized by Somali pirates last week, the French presidency said.


Talks started Thursday to free the crew of the French yacht Tanit had broken down, said a spokesman for the president's office.

"Today (Friday) with the threats becoming more and more specific, the pirates refusing the offers made to them and the Tanit heading towards the coast, an operation to free the hostages was decided upon," said a spokesman.

"During the operation, an hostage was unfortunately killed. The four others -- including the child -- are safe and sound.

"Two pirates were killed, the three others were captured," said the spokesman.

The French yacht Tanit, with four adults and a child on board, was captured in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday.

"France has a fixed policy, which is to refuse acts of piracy and to avoid letting its nationals be taken to land as hostage," said the spokesman.

"Thus our military forces have already freed hostages from the Ponant and the Carre d'as in April and September 2008."

On April 11, 2008, French special forces freed 30 members of the Ponant, a luxury yacht that had been seized by pirates a week earlier, and captured six of the pirates on Somali territory.

On September 15, French troops freed a French couple held hostage for nearly two weeks after Somali pirates had captured their yacht, the Carre d'As. One pirate was killed in the operation and six others captured.

http://www.france24.com/en/20090410-...ed-french-army

[Alkarin]

wow french have more nuts then the US when it comes to pirates? props to them. still not sure why people take yachts out to the coast of Somalia..

[Homeros]

wow french have more nuts then the US when it comes to pirates? props to them. still not sure why people take yachts out to the coast of Somalia..

Otherwise they have to sail all the way around the African continent.

well up to this point Americans haven't been taken prisoner by pirates and in the one exception they took their own ship back

They're holding a American captain hostage as we speak http://abcnews.go.com/International/...7287055&page=1

[removeduser_487563287433]

wow french have more nuts then the US when it comes to pirates? props to them. still not sure why people take yachts out to the coast of Somalia..

Um, balls or not, a couple of children will now grow up without a father.

[mrmouth]

wow french have more nuts then the US when it comes to pirates? props to them. still not sure why people take yachts out to the coast of Somalia..

See, here is where I tell you to do some homework before spouting off. The French assaulted the small yacht, because they could. But it goes against what they themselves have done previously. The fact remains, pirates take hostages to get paid. So its very questionable as to why they even decided to take direct action.


The American Captain, who gave himself up in hopes the pirates would leave his crew alone, is being held captive on a sealed rescue boat. Its a 28 foot life boat, orange in color, and designed more like a capsule, or pod, than a boat. Its entirely watertight, and can survive even the worst weather, complete with safety belts for people to strap in during bad weather.

The only way in is a small, lockable hatch, just big enough for a grown person with a life jacket, to fit through.

So how do you assault something like this?



The captain also tried to escape apparently, and was likely shot. He could be dead, or dying. Pirates haven't allowed him to talk in over 24 hours now.

[Alkarin]

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

See, here is where I tell you to do some homework before spouting off. The French assaulted the small yacht, because they could. But it goes against what they themselves have done previously. The fact remains, pirates take hostages to get paid. So its very questionable as to why they even decided to take direct action.


The American Captain, who gave himself up in hopes the pirates would leave his crew alone, is being held captive on a sealed rescue boat. Its a 28 foot life boat, orange in color, and designed more like a capsule, or pod, than a boat. Its entirely watertight, and can survive even the worst weather, complete with safety belts for people to strap in during bad weather.

The only way in is a small, lockable hatch, just big enough for a grown person with a life jacket, to fit through.

So how do you assault something like this?



The captain also tried to escape apparently, and was likely shot. He could be dead, or dying. Pirates haven't allowed him to talk in over 24 hours now.

yea....i know. but the US is very passive in all its hostage rescue attempts. Sometimes for the worst. I understand in the current situation (hate to call it that because about 400 other people right now are also being help hostage by Somalia pirates yet we say nothing about them unless its a US civilian) that is unassaultable..personally i think it won't end well with him failing to escape.

[mrmouth]

yea....i know. but the US is very passive in all its hostage rescue attempts. Sometimes for the worst. I understand in the current situation (hate to call it that because about 400 other people right now are also being help hostage by Somalia pirates yet we say nothing about them unless its a US civilian) that is unassaultable..personally i think it won't end well with him failing to escape.

Its not passivity. The US has engaged in hundreds of direct action rescue attempts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of which have been successful, but are not ever reported.

This is likely not going to end well, because I don't see the US handing over money. Or allowing the owners of the boat to pay the ransom. And there is no way to launch a rescue attempt. These pirates are sealed in a boat, with only one small hatch to enter or exit from.

The French were able to engage pirates standing on the deck of the small yacht, with shooters, and then launch an assault. The US cannot do that.

[Eskali]

wow french have more nuts then the US when it comes to pirates? props to them. still not sure why people take yachts out to the coast of Somalia..

France has always been a balsy country, although they are starting to become a puppy to the EU and eventually NATO. They go past Somalia up the Nile and into the Mediterranean(sp?).

Well done France, we should have been destroying the pirate havens from day one, but most nations are to sensitive to do such a thing and now it has grown out of control.

[Razvus]

I still don't see any of you giving other ideas, what were they supposed to do if the talks broke down and the pirates made even more threats at the hostages. It's as if you're ignoring this on purpose. Nvm, keep bashing France.

[Virgil]

well up to this point Americans haven't been taken prisoner by pirates and in the one exception they took their own ship back so... in a contest between the the two countries - its really irrelevant as to which is more brave...

[Erik]

Dash, read the TOS:

6) Every thread must begin with some question or framework for the discussion you wish to initiate. You may not start a new discussion topic solely by posting a copy of an existing news story, image, quote from a web site, or other source information.

[Darsh]

I think we should assaulted the bases of the pirates in Somalia to end definatly with the piracy.

[Markas]

Dash, read the TOS:

He does the same thing every time...

Anyway I suppose 4-1 is a fair score, at least the kid survived. I'd imagine an armed assault on a yacht is tricky to say the least.

[Treize]

Send Charles de Gaulle and pound Eyl.
Would be a good promotion for the Rafale...

[Vercingetorix_Defeated]

It's not as if Western navies have anything else to do. They might as well patrol Somalia.

It would be pretty sad if the most powerful navies in the world couldn't even keep one little African coastline free of rowboats with a few criminals in them.

[Aetius]

Why don't the western navies go to the pirate harbors and destroy them there?


Take the fight to the pirates.

Oh....is it because potentially civilieans could get hurt? Are their civilian more important than our civilians?

Thats how USA did it in the Barbary Wars, worked pretty well back then.

[Gelgoog]

Thats how USA did it in the Barbary Wars, worked pretty well back then.

how bout we sent some marines to the shores of Tripoli as well, just for memories

[Garrigan]

Oh....is it because potentially civilieans could get hurt? Are their civilian more important than our civilians?

Yeah, theyre only blacks after all, how much can their lives be worth?

[Darsh]

It's not as if Western navies have anything else to do. They might as well patrol Somalia.

It would be pretty sad if the most powerful navies in the world couldn't even keep one little African coastline free of rowboats with a few criminals in them.

You could put all the war navy you want, it would be not enough to secure the Somalia coast.
We must strike on the ground to solde the problem.

[Major.Stupidity]

You could put all the war navy you want, it would be not enough to secure the Somalia coast.
We must strike on the ground to solde the problem.

That's not going to solve the underling problems which have given rise to piracy, if anything it would exacerbate the situation and lead to needless deaths.