Marines could fight pirates once again

[unhappycamper]

Marines could fight pirates once again
By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Dec 29, 2008 15:46:53 EST

It has been more than 200 years since Marines invaded the African port of Tripoli, Libya, taking on pirates who terrorized civilian sailors from the Barbary Coast to the Atlantic Ocean.

Now, the U.N. Security Council has opened the door for another war on piracy, voting unanimously Dec. 16 to approve a resolution that authorizes nations to conduct land and air attacks on pirate bases on the east African coast of Somalia, where extreme poverty has led to a large spike in attacks on ocean vessels.

U.S. officials, including Commandant Gen. James Conway, have not indicated that Marines will be called on to fight pirates. But Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other officials welcomed the resolution and look forward to addressing with allies “this troublesome problem.”

“Obviously, I’m not going to discuss any specific U.S. military planning or possible operations,” Whitman said. “The Department of Defense is committed to safe and secure international waterways.”

The resolution comes at the end of a year in which more than 40 vessels have been hijacked off Somalia’s 1,880-mile coast, mostly to the north in the Gulf of Aden. Before the latest seizures, officials said 14 vessels remained in pirate hands, including a Saudi tanker carrying $100 million worth of crude oil and a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and other weapons bound for Kenya. More than 250 crew members also were being held hostage.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/12/marine_pirates_122808w/%2e