American captain rescued from pirates by US forces
The US captain held hostage by Somali pirates was freed Sunday, according to CNN, in what appears to be the first rescue effort by US naval forces operating in the Indian Ocean. Until now, US ships acted as escorts but did not initiate a rescue operation.
Skip to next paragraphRecent posts
-
05.29.12
Russian security firm spots cyber supervirus that tops Stuxnet -
05.29.12
With a mouse click, an expat casts his French vote, from Beijing -
05.24.12
Whose Islands are they? South Korea tries branding in its dispute with Japan -
05.24.12
Report: Russian intelligence suspects US hand in SuperJet crash -
05.24.12
Russia claims new missile can overcome missile defenses
A US official told CNN that American Capt. Richard Phillips is uninjured and that three of the four pirates holding him hostage in a lifeboat are now dead. The fourth Somali pirate, and Captain Phillips, were taken aboard the USS Bainbridge.
There are no details yet of the rescue mission.
On Friday, French commandos launched a rescue mission after Somali pirates took control of a private yacht with five French citizens. One of the French captives was killed in the raid, the rest were rescued. That was third time French forces have freed its citizens from pirates in the past year.
US crewmen aboard the Maersk Alabama, which arrived safely in Mombasa, Kenya, Saturday night, said that Captain Phillips was "a hero" for exchanging himself for his crew. For more details of how the crew escaped capture, click here.
These comments are not screened before publication. Constructive debate about the above story is welcome, but personal attacks are not. Please do not post comments that are commercial in nature or that violate any copyright[s]. Comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence will be removed. If you find a comment offensive, you may flag it.