Majestik Møøse Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Once again we've pulled off a pristine pirate-killing, hostage-rescuing operation. Awesome! http://news.yahoo.co...-063438091.html US military raid in Somalia frees American, Dane By ABDI GULED and KATHARINE HOURELD | Associated Press – 53 mins ago MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — U.S. Special Forces troops flew into Somalia on a nighttime helicopter raid early Wednesday, freed an American and a Danish hostage and killed nine of the kidnappers in a mission that President Barack Obama said he personally authorized. The Danish Refugee Council confirmed that the two aid workers, American Jessica Buchanan and Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, were freed and "are on their way to be reunited with their families." The raiders came in very quickly, catching the guards as they were sleeping after having chewed the narcotic leaf qat for much of the evening, a pirate who gave his name as Bile Hussein told The Associated Press by phone. Hussein said he was not present at the site but had spoken with other pirates who were, and that they told him nine pirates had been killed in the raid and three were missing. A second pirate who gave his name as Ahmed Hashi said two helicopters attacked at about 2 a.m. about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the Somali town of Adado where the hostages were being held. Buchanan, 32, and Thisted, 60, were working with a de-mining unit of the Danish Refugee Council when they were kidnapped in October. The U.S. military's Africa Command, based in Stuttgart, Germany, confirmed that nine kidnappers were killed. "Last night's mission, boldly conducted by some of our nation's most courageous, competent, and committed special operations forces, exemplifies United States Africa Command's mission to protect Americans and American interests in Africa," said Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command. Obama seemed to refer to the mission before his State of the Union address in Washington Tuesday night. By then it was already Wednesday morning in Somalia. As he entered the House chamber in the U.S. Capitol, Obama pointed at Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the crowd and said, "Good job tonight." "As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts," Obama said in a statement released by the White House Wednesday. He said he had authorized the rescue mission on Monday. "Jessica Buchanan was selflessly serving her fellow human beings when she was taken hostage by criminals and pirates who showed no regard for her health and well-being," Obama said. "The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice." A Western official said the helicopters and the hostages flew to a U.S. military base called Camp Lemonnier in the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti after the raid. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information had not been released publicly. The timing of the raid may have been made more urgent by a medical condition. The Danish Refugee Council had been trying to work with Somali elders to win the hostages' freedom but had found little success. "One of the hostages has a disease that was very serious and that had to be solved," Danish Foreign Minister Villy Soevndal told Denmark's TV2 channel. Soevndal did not provide any more details. Soevndal congratulated the Americans for the raid and said he had been informed of the action. Panetta visited Camp Lemonnier just over a month ago. A key U.S. ally in this region, Djibouti has the only U.S. base in sub-Saharan Africa. It hosts the military's Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. The Danish Refugee Council said both freed hostages are unharmed "and at a safe location." The group said in a separate statement that the two "are on their way to be reunited with their families." Ann Mary Olsen, head of the Danish Refugee Council's international department, was the one who informed the family of Hagen Thisted of the successful military operation. "They (the family) were very happy and incredibly relieved that it is over," she said. The two aid workers appear to have been kidnapped by criminals — sometimes referred to as pirates — and not by Somalia's al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab. As large ships at sea have increased their defenses against pirate attacks, gangs have looked for other money making opportunities like land-based kidnappings. The Danish Refugee Council had earlier enlisted traditional Somali elders and members of civil society to seek the release of the two hostages. "We are really happy with the successful release of the innocents kidnapped by evildoers," said Mohamud Sahal, an elder in Galkayo town, by phone. "They were guests who were treated brutally. That was against Islam and our culture ... These men (pirates) have spoiled our good customs and culture, so Somalis should fight back." Buchanan and Hagen Thisted were seized in October from the portion of Galkayo town under the control of a government-allied clan militia. The aid agency has said that Somalis held demonstrations demanding the pair's quick release. Their Somali colleague was detained by police on suspicion of being involved in their kidnapping. The two hostages were working in northern Somalia for the Danish Demining Group, whose experts have been clearing mines and unexploded ordnance in conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East. Several hostages are still being held in Somalia, including a British tourist, two Spanish doctors seized from neighboring Kenya, and an American journalist kidnapped on Saturday. ___ Associated Press reporters Jason Straziuso in Nairobi, Kenya, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark contributed to this report. Houreld reported from Nairobi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco_Nav963 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Not bad for an NGO do-gooder type. Definitely a 1 on the binary scale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaded Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Operation dinner out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 From the Washington Post: "After killing the Somali captors, the commandos found Buchanan and Thisted unharmed in an outdoor encampment and freed them." 'nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrainerModel Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Business is good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tac airlifter Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Business is good Yup, business has been booming in EA recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Davies Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Not bad for an NGO do-gooder type. Definitely a 1 on the binary scale. So, how long have you been in the sandpit for? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco_Nav963 Posted January 25, 2012 Share Posted January 25, 2012 Ha, managed to stay away from the sandpit for two years as of next month, but anticipating a move to the subarctic tundra (KMIB) next month. Calibrating expectations accordingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Shit like this would never happen if a Democrat was in the oval office. Good on ya boys! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-Dub Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Don't get me wrong, I'm happy these two were finally rescued, but don't put any more thought into this than the timing was very politically driven. If the US AFRICOM could pull their heads from their anal orifices, these two would have been rescued a LONG time ago. Election year State of the Union address at the same time as a HOA hostage rescue? ALR just went up. Bottom Line: the US government took advantage of a situation in which the country is very lucky the hostages are still alive after this long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Don't get me wrong, I'm happy these two were finally rescued, but don't put any more thought into this than the timing was very politically driven. If the US AFRICOM could pull their heads from their anal orifices, these two would have been rescued a LONG time ago. Election year State of the Union address at the same time as a HOA hostage rescue? ALR just went up. Bottom Line: the US government took advantage of a situation in which the country is very lucky the hostages are still alive after this long. Ugh.Choke yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Driver Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Ugh.Choke yourself. 2. You're foolish and clearly un/under-informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoleIt Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Since you two are "in the know" why was it now that hostages were rescued? They have been sitting there for a while. And they can use the medical excuse for the one dude all they want, but I would think that excuse would warrant a QUICK response. Not this one after so long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClearedHot Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Ugh.Choke yourself. How about you dolts choke each other...to death. His comment was ludicrous, yours was yet another attempt to stink up this forum with politics and tarnish a discussion about good dudes doing good things regardless of political persuasion. New low my brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KState_Poke22 Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Ugh.Choke yourself. Uh oh... Get your popcorn ready for this one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tac airlifter Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Don't get me wrong, I'm happy these two were finally rescued, but don't put any more thought into this than the timing was very politically driven. If the US AFRICOM could pull their heads from their anal orifices, these two would have been rescued a LONG time ago. Election year State of the Union address at the same time as a HOA hostage rescue? ALR just went up. Bottom Line: the US government took advantage of a situation in which the country is very lucky the hostages are still alive after this long. You're an idiot and have no idea what you are talking about. AFRICOM had nothing to do with the delay. Kudos to all who were involved in this difficult operation. "The deed is all, not the glory." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B52gator Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Apparently FoxNews has a 4th grader doing their animation...check out the video at the link below. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/01/25/sources-us-raid-frees-american-and-dane-held-hostage-in-somalia/?test=latestnews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 (edited) Don't get me wrong, I'm happy these two were finally rescued, but don't put any more thought into this than the timing was very politically driven. If the US AFRICOM could pull their heads from their anal orifices, these two would have been rescued a LONG time ago. Election year State of the Union address at the same time as a HOA hostage rescue? ALR just went up. Bottom Line: the US government took advantage of a situation in which the country is very lucky the hostages are still alive after this long. You are confused... I am sorry for that. Edited January 26, 2012 by Chicken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 (edited) How about you dolts choke each other...to death. His comment was ludicrous, yours was yet another attempt to stink up this forum with politics and tarnish a discussion about good dudes doing good things regardless of political persuasion. New low my brother. Mine was a tongue in cheek dig at how many of you (especially you) perceive me. Thanks for taking the bait. Edited January 26, 2012 by Vertigo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsplayr Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 (edited) If the US AFRICOM could pull their heads from their anal orifices, these two would have been rescued a LONG time ago...Oh really? Please do tell. Good on the guys who made this happen...no credit needs to be taken, political or otherwise. The ones who deserve credit already have it. To them Edited January 26, 2012 by nsplayr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger41 Posted January 26, 2012 Share Posted January 26, 2012 Apparently FoxNews has a 4th grader doing their animation...check out the video at the link below. http://www.foxnews.c...test=latestnews Hahaha wtf was that shit?! That was horrible. Best line from the story: "All nine Somali hostage takers were killed. No Americans were injured in the raid." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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