So it can be done

American elite troops, specifically US Navy Seals, raided a camp in Somalia Wednesday to rescue two captives being held hostage by Somali pirates. The rescue was an overwhelming success, where not only were the two captives rescued, but all nine captors were killed in the operation. An American and a Dane were safely flown to a US military base in Djibouti, and will soon be repatriated and in the arms of their loved ones! Mission accomplished indeed, and another amazing chapter in the annals of the US Navy Seals. If you will recall, Navy Seals were also responsible for killing Osama Bin Laden in May of last year.

I guess it was fortunate for the Dane to be with an American when they were kidnapped. Reports of the American woman’s failing health prompted the rescue operation, before any kind of ransom had been paid. Very unfortunate for the hundreds more Danish, Indian, Korean and Philippine sailors still being held captive by Somali pirates when their vessels were hijacked in areas of the Gulf of Aden, now known as “pirate alley”. I would surmise that a rescue by US Navy Seals is not in their future.

I have written often times in this column that the pirate scourge that the Gulf of Aden has had to endure these past years must already be met with deadly force. Companies were more willing to pay the ransom than mount a rescue or even negotiate for the release of the ship and its crew. This led to Somali piracy becoming more lucrative than Krispy Kreme or Crocs outlets! Pirate gangs, or even whole towns were raking in millions of dollars. In a country like Somalia, one would be astonished to see Lexus and Range Rover SUVs going about town, with Porsches and BMWs driven as everyday cars! But in these towns, they were commonplace. It just wasn’t right.

If America could invade Afghanistan and Iraq, with the goal of fighting terrorism, why can’t it go full force to the pirate lairs in Somalia and end the scourge once and for all? Is it because there are no American interests, no American hostages? Or is the pain of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu still smarting the US? Does it mean that America only gets involved when it is sure of winning? The answer lies in their non-action against Iran and North Korea! The United Nations has stated that protecting the seas is good business. Why the UN itself has not gotten involved in protecting them is also a question I have always wanted to ask.

America has been accused of policing the world. It would be nice if that is true for all crimes. But obviously, they police countries that have done them and only them wrong. Whether it is protecting their civilians, or their interests. I guess our poor Filipino brothers languishing in Somali captivity do not have an ice cube’s chance in hell of being rescued. Their only recourse is for their principals to pay the ransom. Something that only emboldens these mindless pirates to further pillage the seas.