The last paragraph of the Associated Press article Navy SEAL Raid in Somalia Shows Campaign Ahead, reads: Several hostages were still being held in Somalia, including a British tourist, two Spanish doctors seized from neighboring Kenya and an American journalist kidnapped on Saturday.
Based on the AP, there appear to be only four hostages held in Somalia. But what of the seafarers being held for ransom? According to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, 28 ship were hijacked and 470 sailors were taken hostage in Somalia in 2011. 151 are still being held hostage.
As is so often the case, sailors are too often invisible and ignored. To learn more go to Save Our Seafarers.
It is beyond me why we continue to tolerate piracy in and around Somalia and the Horn of Africa. The US Navy has the means to solve this problem once and for all, and it would be a good thing if we quit leading from behind and started taking charge of the effort to stop this nonsense.
I won’t hold my breath until that happens, either….
The problem is that 80% or more of all pirates caught are let go, because the governments involved lack the political will to prosecute.