US navy rescues captain held by Somali pirates

The US navy rescued an American captain whom pirates held in a lifeboat adrift off the coast of Somalia, ending a tense five-day standoff by shooting dead three of his four captors.

Captain Richard Phillips, who had commanded the Maersk Alabama cargo ship, was rescued off the Somali coast around 7:19 pm local time 1619 GMT, the US navy said.

Phillips was held hostage for five days in a lifeboat from the Maersk Alabama after the ship's all American crew on Wednesday fought off the pirates' attempt to capture the freighter.

Navy snipers hidden in the stern rear of the USS Bainbridge, one of two navy warships that rushed to the scene, shot and killed the pirates, said Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, commander of US naval forces in the region.

The pirates "were pointing the AK-47s at the captain," who was tied up, Gortney told reporters in a teleconference from the US Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain.

President Barack Obama had given orders to "take decisive action" if Phillips was at risk at any time, Gortney said.

"The on-scene commander thought that the captain was in imminent danger and then made that decision, and he had the authority to make that decision and he had seconds to make that decision," said Gortney.

The snipers fired when they had one of the pirates in their sights "and two pirates with their head and shoulders exposed," Gortney said.

At the time the USS Bainbridge, a guided missile destroyer, was towing the lifeboat to calmer waters and was some 25 to 30 meters 82 to 98 feet ahead of the boat.

Navy SEAL Sea, Air and Land Forces commandos were involved in the rescue, Gortney said.

According to CNN, the snipers were earlier brought in by helicopter and dropped into the ocean behind the Bainbridge.

The fourth pirate surrendered, Gortney said, adding that the US Department of Justice was "working out the details" on how and where to prosecute him.

US media described the surviving pirate as possibly being 16 years old.

Although the US government's policy is to not negotiate with pirates, Gortney acknowledged that US officials were engaged in a "deliberate hostage negotiation process" with the pirate aboard the USS Bainbridge.

Phillips, who was unharmed, was taken aboard the USS Bainbridge then flown to the assault ship USS Boxer, where he was "in good health." He called his family in the United States and received a medical checkup.

In Washington, Obama -- who had been publicly silent on the hostage crisis -- said in a statement that he was "very pleased" with Phillips' rescue, an event he called "a welcome relief to his family and his crew."

The United States remains "resolved" to combat piracy off the Somali coast, Obama said.

A pirate told AFP on condition of anonymity that the Italian boat was heading toward Las Qorey on the Somali coast of the Gulf of Aden.



A Palestinian youth rides his horse at sunset. AP Photo/Adel Hana

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