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| Africa Horn |
| French warship sinks pirate ship |
| 2010-05-02 |
| AFP - A French warship destroyed a pirate 'mother ship' and 11 Somalis were seized in an anti-piracy operation off the Somali coast, the EU naval force Navfor said on Friday. The surveillance frigate Nivose found, "stopped and searched a mother skiff and two supporting skiffs, some 480 nautical miles east of the Somali coast" on Thursday, Navfor said in a statement. The French sailors boarded and searched the vessels and discovered "pirate paraphernalia". The 11 Somali crew were taken off the three apprehended boats which were then sunk. The proactive action is part of Navfor's aim to prevent and disrupt pirate activity. More than 40 such pirate groups have been disrupted in the last two months "showing that the new strategy is working," Navfor said. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |
| #10 Use against the French, dang. I shouldn't post after midnight my time. |
| Posted by: Mizzou Mafia 2010-05-02 17:36 |
| #9 Apparently, the pirates didn't have a lightsaber to use against the pirates Why not use the same pointing devices against the pirates that all these folks seem to like to use against airplane pilots? It would screw them up big time if they used something industrial-strength. They couldn't even afford to look back at the ship they were attacking for fear they would be blinded or messed up! |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-05-02 17:14 |
| #8 Apparently, the pirates didn't have a lightsaber to use against the pirates: Le Lightsaber terrible! |
| Posted by: Mizzou Mafia 2010-05-02 17:01 |
| #7 You know, if we authorized open whaling in the Indian Ocean, we might be able to see what a Japanese trawler could do to the integrity of some of these freebooter skiffs. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-05-02 14:57 |
| #6 Typical, should have used a MOAB on them. Or the French could just read your collected-commentaries to them. Thing is, who'd be suffering more - the pirates, or the French? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-05-02 13:53 |
| #5 Many of the stories on Rantburg prove the mettle of the soldiers, airmen, Marines and sailors of our NATO allies. Despite how their governments are, these men are brave, fight hard despite the fact they are often horribly equipped compared to our own troops and take their lumps without complain. Even the French. My hat's off to them. Their governments can take a flying leap though. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2010-05-02 12:50 |
| #4 Actually the Nivose did it the old-fashioned way, Ship. There's nothing wrong with the French military (below the rank of general, at least). |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-05-02 09:37 |
| #3 Surrender monkeys probably used a Q-ship ruse-de-guerre. Typical, should have used a MOAB on them. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2010-05-02 09:35 |
| #2 Roaches. |
| Posted by: gorb 2010-05-02 02:23 |
| #1 Pirate paraphernalia? Like eye patches and parrots and stuff? |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2010-05-02 01:12 |