Somali authorities means who exactly?

France foils two Somali pirate attacks, holds 19

A French warship Sunday foiled attempts by Somalian pirates in the Gulf of Aden to seize two cargo vessels and intercepted 19 people, the French president's office said.

"Three days after a French vessel thwarted an attack on a Panamanian cargo ship" the frigate Jean de Vienne conducted a "decisive action" against "two new attacks" it said in a statement.

"The 19 Somali pirates who tried to seize the two boats were intercepted," it added, saying they carried weapons, ammunition and material for boarding ships.

"They will be transferred to the Somali authorities," it added.

Somalia has no real government so to whom do you transfer them to? More catch and release it would seem.

Great pictures of Chinese sailors fighting off Somali pirates with (empty?) beer bottles and Molotov cocktails

Desperate Chinese sailors fight off Somali pirates with beer bottles and Molotov cocktails

Kudos to the crew.

Reuters headline: U.S. says lacks intelligence to fight pirates in Somalia

U.S. says lacks intelligence to fight pirates in Somalia

MANAMA (Reuters) – The United States lacks the intelligence needed to pursue the fight against pirates on Somali soil, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday.

His comments came days after the U.S. delegation at the United Nations circulated a draft resolution that would give countries the right to pursue pirates on land as well as at sea.

Analysts say that pursuing pirates on land is crucial to any military response to attacks that have targeted dozens of ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean in recent months.

As usual the UN is moving at lightning speed on this.

Rights group berates West over Somalia failure

Via CNN

The United States and other Western powers have "exacerbated Somalia's downward spiral" and must revise their policies in the east African country, a Human Rights Watch report has warned.

The report, released Monday, blames the policies under President George W. Bush for "breeding the very extremism that it is supposed to defeat."

"The new administration of U.S. President Barack Obama should urgently review U.S. policy in Somalia and the broader Horn of Africa and break with the failed approach of his predecessor," the report said.

It also cites key European governments for failing "to address the human rights dimensions of the crisis, with many officials hoping that somehow unfettered support to abusive TFG (Somali transitional government) forces will improve stability."

Somalia has been a war zone since the time of President George H W Bush. The best thing for Somalia and the Somali people would be to erase Mogadishu from the map along with the Somali pirate port of Eyl. Somalia will in all likely hood never be a complete country again with the hundred of clans ruling their own turf. Maybe Human Rights Watch should take its ass down there and try to teach some love and understanding. The Somali pastime is chewing khat and shooting each other.

I have friends that were in Somalia in 1992 when Bush the elder was pressured to send troops to end the famine. Funny that most of what I hear is that nobody in Mogadishu seemed to be starving but it was those outside the city. I also have friends that were there in 1993 when Clinton pressured by the UN and ill advised by Les Aspin thought that it was possible to nation build there. The same Les Aspin who denied the equipment commanders on the ground requested such as armor and AC-130 gunship support. No many believe that AC-130's were not provided in Somalia but that is only partly true. AC-130's were providing air cover until the day Task Force Ranger arrived when they were promptly removed and only returned after the Battle of the Black Sea on Oct 3-4 1993.

It is my worry of the Obama administration that his cabinet will be filled like Clintons. People who never served and do not understand or trust the military with a few token members with prior service who will tell the administration what it wants to hear.

If Somalia is to be the new training ground for terrorism it must be dealt with and certainly the pirates are now a much larger threat to international shipping. I understand the locals nearly shit their pants whenever the AC-130 would fly over screaming "AC" and taking cover. Maybe a few nighttime flybys of the port of Eyl would get their attention

Gulf of Aden gets crowded as China seeks to join the fray

Call made for China navy to battle Somali pirates

A Chinese general has called for the country's navy to join the fight against Somali pirates, saying the mission would boost China's international stature and give its sailors valuable experience in fighting open ocean combat operations far from their home ports.

Chinese ships have been among those seized in a wave of pirate attacks this year, including the fishing vessel Tianyu No. 8, seized in mid-November.

International warships from NATO and countries including Russia patrol the Gulf of Aden and have created a security corridor in the area under a U.S.-led initiative, but attacks have not abated.

"Piracy doesn't just interfere in our country's navigational safety, it also impedes our development and interests," Major General Jin Yinan told state radio.

Hopefully with all these ships looking for a piece of the action there will not be anymore not so friendly friendly fire.

Somali pirates attempt hijacking of cruise ship

Pirates fire on US cruise ship in hijack attempt

Maybe instead of trying to chase zodiacs in the open ocean its time to hit them where they live?

Russians to go on offensive against Somali pirates...this will all end in tears

A Russian Solution To The Somali Pirates

November 25, 2008: Russia is planning to send more warships to the Somali coast, along with some commandos and a particularly Russian style of counter-piracy operations. In other words, the Russians plan to go old school on the Somali pirates, and use force to rescue ships currently held, and act ruthlessly against real or suspected pirates it encounters at sea.

This could cause diplomatic problems with the other nations providing warships for counter-piracy operations off the Somali coast. That's because the current ships have, so far, followed a policy of not attempting rescue operations (lest captive sailors get hurt) and not firing on pirates unless fired on first. Russia believes this approach only encourages the pirates.

Russia is planning on bringing along commandoes from Spetsgruppa Vympel. These are hostage rescue experts, formed two decades ago as a spinoff from the original Russian army Spetsnaz commandos.

Read the rest at Strategy Page. I think we have all seen Russian hostage "rescues" before. I doubt this will end well for any involved.