Terror At Sea - Pirate Wars!
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Terror At Sea:
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PIRATE WARS!
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11-20-08
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Editor's Note: It appears that Al Qaeda has launched a Naval War or PIRATE WAR against the West in conjunction with Somalian Pirates. This activity is occuring as Al Qaeda is on the verge of taking over ALL of West Africa, including the Horn of Africa region. Many of the Somalian pirates are actually Islamic terrorists working under the Al Qaeda banner. Our website's sister section, The A-O Insider Report has provided additional articles and analysis on Al Qaeda's latest moves along with coverage of what is now becoming evident - Pirate War.
What you will find below are various mainstream media web stories on the piracy now afflicting the Gulf of Aden and areas around the Horn of Africa. If you are an A-O Donor with access to The A-O Insider Report, make sure you check out our intelligence article and analysis on what Al Qaeda is plotting and the dilemma the West is facing. If you're not a donor, its easy to become a donor, just go to this LINK HERE for details for online donations or by mail. Those who donate will get a special URL along with a username and password for regular access.
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Pirates Seize $100M Oil Tanker
Off Coast of Africa
Demand $10 Mil in Ransom
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Somali pirates have seized a Saudi Arabian oil tanker with an oil cargo valued at $100 million dollars. The pirates are demanding $10 million in ransom.
In the latest A-O Intelligence Digest Edition of 11-18-08, we reported on the threat Al Qaeda is posing to western Africa. Al Qaeda is on the verge of taking over the Horn of Africa and turning western Africa into another Afghanistan. At the same time, Al Qaeda will be able to threaten the sea lanes that run off the coastline of western Africa. These sea lanes are vital for the flow of oil to both Europe and the United States as they pass through the Suez Canal.
For more on the seizure of the oil tanker, see the LINK HERE. More details, LINK HERE.
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Pirates Seize Hong Kong Freighter
Bound for Iran with Wheat
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Pirates Seize Danish Tanker
Off Coast of Nigeria
Ship Later Released
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Calls For Naval Protection
From Somali Pirates
Above: Somalian Pirates - Al Qaeda?
International shipping line executives are calling on navies from around the world to put a stop to international piracy, particularly along the Horn of Africa. 3 large cargo ships have been seized in that area in the last 72 hours.
Somalia is on the verge of being overrun by radical Islamic terrorists under the direction of Al Qaeda. For more details on the piracy situation and the calls for naval action, see the LINK HERE.
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Saudis Call For Naval Action
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Above: Map of Pirate's war zone on the Horn of Africa
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Top US Admiral "Stunned"
By Somali Pirates' Reach
The top US military officer said Monday he was "stunned" by the reach of the Somali pirates who seized a Saudi supertanker off the east coast of Africa, calling piracy a growing problem that needs to be addressed.
But Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said there were limits to what the world's navies could do once a ship has been captured because national governments often preferred to pay pirates ransom.
"I'm stunned by the range of it, less so than I am the size," Mullen said of the seizure of the Sirius Star Sunday by armed men.
The huge, oil laden prize, which is three times the size of a US aircraft carrier, was some 450 miles east of Kenya when it was boarded, he said.
That is the farthest out at sea that a ship has been seized in the latest surge of piracies, according to Mullen.
The pirates, he said, are "very good at what they do. They're very well armed. Tactically, they are very good."
"And so, once they get to a point where they can board, it becomes very difficult to get them off, because, clearly, now they hold hostages.
"The question then becomes, well, what do you do about the hostages? And that's where the standoff is.
"That's a national question to ask based on the flag of the vessel. And the countries by and large have been paying the ransom that the pirates have asked," he said. For more details, LINK HERE.
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World Leaders:
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"We're Powerless To Stop Piracy"
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World Navies May Tackle Pirates
The rash of ocean freighters and tankers during November may force Western navies to step up their efforts against piracy.
NATO is reassessing its operatins the Horn of Africa and may adopt a tougher stance toward the pirates.
The navies of India, Russia, Britain and Germany have all battled recently with pirate ships in the Gulf Gulf of Aden alone.
The renewed concern for the shipping lanes comes as a result of the pirate seizure of the hijacked oil tanker, the Sirius Star, which carries a crew of 25 and 2 million barrels of crude oil valued at $110 million dollars. The ship was seized on November 15 about 420 miles from Somalia or 450 miles from Kenya. The ship is owned by a Saudi Arabian shipping line. The pirates are now demanding a $25 million dollar ransom. The tanker's size is 4 times larger than the largest US aircraft carrier.
For more details see this LINK HERE.
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Indian Frigate Sinks Pirate Ship
Brazen Pirates Threaten Warship
The Indian Navy Frigate Tabar sank a pirate ship in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, November 18 after a 4 hour runinng battle into the night.
What is amazing is the brazen audacity of the pirates who challenged the Indian warship and threatened to blow up the Indian naval frigate, Tabar. The pirates issued a threat via radio and told the Indian ship to back away or be blown up by pirates with rocket-propelled grenade launchers. LINK HERE.
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Russia To Send More Warships
Recognizing the rising threat to international shipping and the opportunity for the Russian Navy to show the world what it is made of, Russia's top naval commander has announced that additional naval forces would be dispatched to the Somalia region to join a Russian frigate already on patrol. More details, LINK HERE.
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