Somali officials grants foreign use of force against pirates

[Apoptosis]

The Somali government has finally authorized foreign use of force against the pirates that took over the ship full of military weapons. I hope we or the Russians go on board and wipe them all out... can anyone say level one of Call of Duty 4!

Hijackings by pirates are a near daily occurrence off Somalia, and the international community has to date done little to stop them.

But this ship has garnered more attention. In addition to its 20-member crew, it's carrying 33 Russian-made tanks and ammunition, reportedly bound for southern Sudan via Kenya.

Now, the US fears those tanks could instead end up in the hands of Al Qaeda-linked Islamic militants in Somalia. The militants, particularly al Shabaab, are fighting to wrest control of the country from a weak, US-backed government in Mogadishu.

Source - http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1002/p99s01-duts.html

or a source more specific on the weapons:

The freighter contains 33 T-72M1 and T72-M1K battle tanks, six anti-aircraft defence systems, 150 RPG-7 launchers, six missile launchers and 14,000 rounds of 125 mm ammunition.

There are around 50 armed pirates aboard the ship mingling with the crew and although there have been no reports of violence against the hostages, "fire exchanges have been witnessed on several occasions on the ship, yet no victims have been seen," Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, said in a statement.

Souce - http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hGo ... gZtDKg-kIQ

[DMB2000uk]

Where were the weapons etc originally headed?

Dan

[Darkstar]

Sudan or Kenya depending on who is talking.

[Apoptosis]

Old Russian Military parts that the Ukraine had and was selling to Sudan if I got the story right...

[Darkstar]

Old Russian Military parts that the Ukraine had and was selling to Sudan if I got the story right...

manifest includes 33 Russian-made battle tanks, anti-aircraft guns and a large quantity of ammunition.

supposedly being sold to kenya, various sources say that it was actually bound for Sudan.....

Russia is sending a ship in, this is starting to sound like a Clancy novel.....



from another source; The freighter contains 33 T-72M1 and T72-M1K battle tanks, six anti-aircraft defence systems, 150 RPG-7 grenade-launchers, six missile-launchers and 14,000 rounds of 125 mm ammunition.

[Apoptosis]

you so did read the quotes in the original post... hehe

[Darkstar]

just the first one.....lol

[martini161]

america should just send in a carrier strike group for some nice target practice

[vicaphit]

I say the ship should be recovered instead of destroyed. I like explosions and all, but destroying something that was being bought buy another country is kind of a dick move.

[martini161]

im sure we could work out a deal with them you know to them, 10 million is a lot of money

[vbironchef]

What the Somali government should do is create a Coast Guard. That is one of the jobs of the USCG.

[Tim Burton]

What the Somali government should do is create a Coast Guard. That is one of the jobs of the USCG.

Their government is already a mess, they can't do that.

I'd fix up the USS New Jersey (It's in pretty close to sea worthy shape), get some retired hands and have the battleship sink one last ship.

[martini161]

What the Somali government should do is create a Coast Guard. That is one of the jobs of the USCG.

Their government is already a mess, they can't do that.

I'd fix up the USS New Jersey (It's in pretty close to sea worthy shape), get some retired hands and have the battleship sink one last ship.

Ahh, she is quite a ship! shes a floating museam near where i live, go to see her every once in a while. the pictrues just dont do justice as to how damn big those guns are!

[Apoptosis]

Looks like someone is offering $8 million dollars to the pirates for the ship to be freed... I can't believe they are paying pirates that much money. They should board the ship and just kill them... where are the French, British, Russian and US special forces... This is a real world mission that just happens to be a ship full of military arms.

An onshore associate of Somali pirates holding a Ukrainian ship with tanks and other weaponry on board said on Wednesday an $8 million ransom deal was in the offing which may enable the boat to be freed within days. "A boat will carry the money from Djibouti and pirates are expected to release the ship in the coming two nights," a business partner of the pirates, who identified himself only as Farah, told Reuters.

source - http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL8637884.html

[Tim Burton]

What the Somali government should do is create a Coast Guard. That is one of the jobs of the USCG.

Their government is already a mess, they can't do that.

I'd fix up the USS New Jersey (It's in pretty close to sea worthy shape), get some retired hands and have the battleship sink one last ship.

Ahh, she is quite a ship! shes a floating museam near where i live, go to see her every once in a while. the pictrues just dont do justice as to how damn big those guns are!

I still think that could be used for a community revitalization project of Camden. Those guns can destroy anything!


I do like that class, but I just love the USS Texas. Something so Washington Treaty about it. I do wish they'd open up more of the USS New Jersey. The USS Midway has the same engines and they are open so you can go down and see the control room and the transmission.

It is a shame that we haven't build a new one. The Marines always loved hearing those guns on the field.

[martini161]

Their government is already a mess, they can't do that.

I'd fix up the USS New Jersey (It's in pretty close to sea worthy shape), get some retired hands and have the battleship sink one last ship.

Ahh, she is quite a ship! shes a floating museam near where i live, go to see her every once in a while. the pictrues just dont do justice as to how damn big those guns are!

I still think that could be used for a community revitalization project of Camden. Those guns can destroy anything!


I do like that class, but I just love the USS Texas. Something so Washington Treaty about it. I do wish they'd open up more of the USS New Jersey. The USS Midway has the same engines and they are open so you can go down and see the control room and the transmission.

It is a shame that we haven't build a new one. The Marines always loved hearing those guns on the field.

Being an engineer that works with aegis stuff, something inside me wants to refurb the new jersey and put an aegis system in it, some cruise missles and make those guns radar controlled probably be easier to just build a whole new ship though

[aircommando13]

maybe if we just gave them 700 billion dollars the problem would go away

[Alathald]

maybe if we just gave them 700 billion dollars the problem would go away

It works for the economy, why not everything else?

[Tim Burton]

Being an engineer that works with aegis stuff, something inside me wants to refurb the new jersey and put an aegis system in it, some cruise missles and make those guns radar controlled probably be easier to just build a whole new ship though

The guns are already radar controlled, been that way since WWII. In Korea they could hit within 100 feet at 15 miles. In DS they were able to get within 50 feet or so at 20.

[martini161]

Being an engineer that works with aegis stuff, something inside me wants to refurb the new jersey and put an aegis system in it, some cruise missles and make those guns radar controlled probably be easier to just build a whole new ship though

The guns are already radar controlled, been that way since WWII. In Korea they could hit within 100 feet at 15 miles. In DS they were able to get within 50 feet or so at 20.

spy-2 radar controlled?