Obama Gets Tough with Somali Pirates

BoatTEST.com is happy to report on
a secret meeting that took place in the Oval Office May 9th that went unreported
by the major media. Pres. Obama met with a leader of the Somali pirates who goes
by the name of Capt. Ouk. Ouk reportedly had his right hand chopped off by authorities
in Saudi Arabia a few years ago for reading a Playboy magazine, and turned to a
life of crime on the high seas to make ends meet. Obama said that while he had sympathy
for unemployed and handicapped Somali goat herders, he would order the U.S. Navy
to blow their heads off, just as he had done a few weeks ago to the three pirates
holding Capt. Richard Phillips.



USS FREEDOM
Pres. Obama has ordered the USS Freedom to
start patrolling the coast of Somali. Specifically designed for the "Global War
on Terrorism," the 378-foot craft aims at pirates and oh so much more.

 



Obama
Pres. Obama giving approval to U.S. Navy Seals
to take three melon shots at the pirates holding Capt. Richard Phillips hostage
in a lifeboat. One Seal reportedly said later, “It was like shooting ducks in a
barrel.”



Obama
Obama and Capt. Ouk yuck it up after their
somber May 9th meeting in the Oval Office, when they discovered that they are both
related to a one-legged Arab rug merchant in Mombasa.



Obama
Pres. Obama meets with Richard Phillips, the
captain of the U.S. cargo ship who was held hostage by pirates last month, in the
Oval Office of the White House on May 9, immediately after meeting with Capt. Ouk.
Phillips was joined by his wife, Andrea, who was
a bit bewildered by Obama’s bonhomie
with the pirate leader.


US Navy Detains 17 Suspected Pirates



DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A team of specialized American sailors apprehended
17 suspected pirates who attacked an Egyptian merchant ship in the dangerous waters
off Yemen, the U.S. Navy said Thursday.



The sailors from the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg also seized eight assault
rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher when they boarded the pirates' vessel
Wednesday, said the Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet in a statement.



The Gettysburg launched the operation with the help of the Korean Destroyer ROKS
Munmu the Great after the pirates fired at the Egyptian-flagged Motor Vessel Amira
about 75 miles south of Yemen's al-Mukalla port, the Navy said. Both ships dispatched
helicopters during the mission.



The Gulf of Aden is one of the world's most important shipping lanes, connecting
Europe and Asia via the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. It is used by 20,000 ships
a year and has become the world's hot spot for pirate attacks.



The 17 pirates seized were taken aboard the Gettysburg for further questioning,
said the Navy. They were operating from a "mothership" — a larger vessel pirates
often use to resupply the small speedboats that attack ships far offshore. The Navy
did not say what happened to the mothership after the operation.



Also Thursday, Iranian state television said the country will send two warships
to join an international flotilla protecting cargo ships from pirates off the Somali
coast.



Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Khazaei, made the commitment in
a
letter he sent to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday, according to
a report on the Web site of Iran's press TV.



The ships will leave within the next two days for a five-month assignment and will
join vessels from the U.S., Denmark, Italy, Russia, China and other countries.



Somali pirates have significantly stepped up their attacks in recent years. At least 19 ships and over 250 sailors are now being held hostage by Somali pirates. Last
year, 42 ships were seized and pirates earned an estimated $1 million or more in
ransom each time they freed a ship.



A cargo ship operated by Iran was hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia in
November, the second in the past six months.