Attempt to free Danish family from Somalia fails

Attempt to free Danish family from Somalia fails

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - An attempt by Somali security forces to free a Danish family from a pirate gang on Thursday turned deadly after the would-be rescuers walked into an ambush, a pirate and a security official said.

Pirate Bile Hussein told The Associated Press that armed forces from Somalia’s semiautonomous northern region of Puntland tried to surround the village of Hul Anod and free the family but were beaten back before they were in position. He said some government forces were killed and others were captured but did not give exact figures.

“We defended ourselves and foiled their attempt to recover the Danish family,” he said. “We have killed and captured some of their soldiers and burnt two (government) pickup trucks. They have run away back to where they came from. … The hostages are safe and still in our hands.”

A senior Puntland official said that five soldiers were killed and vehicles were burned. He said that government forces have retreated for now.

Full Story Here:
Attempt to free Danish family from Somalia fails

Lets face facts, IF Somali security forces were a top shelf organization, the nation of Somalia would not be in the hands of pirates and insurgents. If the Somali forces were worth having, I’m pretty sure the pirates and insurgents would be actively recruiting them into their service.

And as much as it pains me to bring this up, the insurgent fighters in Mogadishu did a solid hit on the U.S. Army a while back.

Task Force Ranger-which consisted of an assault force made up of US Army Delta Force, Ranger teams, an air element provided by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, four Navy SEAL operators from SEAL Team Six and members of the Air Force Pararescue/Air Force Combat Controllers-under the command of Major General William F. Garrison executed an operation that involved traveling from their compound on the outskirts of the city to the center with the aim of capturing the leaders of the Habr Gidr clan, headed by warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. The assault force consisted of nineteen aircraft, twelve vehicles, including several Humvees and 160 men.

During the operation, two U.S. Black Hawk helicopters were shot down by rocket-propelled grenades and three others were damaged. Some of the soldiers were able to evacuate wounded back to the compound, but others were trapped at the crash sites and cut off. An urban battle ensued throughout the night.

Early the next morning, a combined task force was sent to rescue the trapped soldiers. It contained soldiers from Pakistan Army, Malaysian Army and the U.S. 10th Mountain Division. They assembled some hundred vehicles, including Pakistani tanks (M48s) and Malaysian Condor armored personnel carriers and were supported by U.S. A/MH-6 Little Bird and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. This task force reached the first crash site and led the trapped soldiers out. The second crash site was overrun and pilot Mike Durant, the lone surviving American from that site, was taken prisoner but later released. SOURCE

This was an ugly loss for America. Our troops were trapped and butchered, their bodies drug through the streets like dogs.

I have a workable solution for the entire nation of Somalia, and many other Islamic nations, one that is assured to rid the area of ALL infestations!

Personally, I don’t think the world be any the LESS for it happening. It does NOT appear that a military option is feasible.

A Nairobi-based security official also confirmed the incident, citing information from Puntland authorities. He said the pirates ambushed the government forces on their way to the rescue mission.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Here we go with that condition of anonymity thing. I suppose that these guys may need that anonymity in order to survive, and I know that I will do whatever is necessary to protect MY sources.

In Copenhagen, the Danish Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the foiled rescue attempt. “We don’t have any comment because we don’t have any information about the situation,” ministry spokesman Folmer Jensen said.

Well, how about that? A political official that admits he doesn’t have a clue concerning his citizens and their captivity.

The Johansens, their three children and two crew members were kidnapped two weeks ago after pirates seized their 43-foot (13-meter) sailboat. The botched attempt to rescue them comes weeks after another failed intervention, by U.S. forces hoping to save four American hostages. When U.S. special forces arrived, they found all four hostages had been killed by pirates; the circumstances that led to their deaths are still unclear.

I’m not going to be blasting off on the Johansens, or their choice regarding taking themselves and their children into waters that are known to be infested with pirates and quite hostile to any and all civilized people, I mean, if that’s what THEY wanted to do, who am I to say that they are the most stupid people I have ever heard of.

Maritime experts said the Johansens had placed themselves in grave danger off Somalia’s lawless coast, despite warnings from naval forces struggling to police the area against pirates.

A Somali pirate previously warned that if any attempt was made to rescue the family, they would be executed like the four Americans.

And as such, they got themselves into it, let them get themselves OUT of it!