I do not know who Issa works for, but I am sure it is one of the big companies that provide linguists to the DoD. It will be interesting to hear the official statement from the DoD on this one, and it sounds like they have been kind of hush about this.  Also, if […]

   You know, the way these security contractors were just killed and thrown away by these captors is just deplorable. It is just like how they did the guys at Crescent, and with Nick Berg. The enemy didn’t sign on to the Geneva Convention, and they could care less about your life.  Fighting to your […]

   This is fantastic news and quite a shocker.  It is hard to believe that this poor guy has been alive all this time, and suffering in captivity.  The other men were not so lucky, but this is remarkable and truly a miracle.  What a gift to the family and friends of Peter, and my […]

     Boy, thats a pretty heavy charge, and I wonder what the Royal Navy has to say about this?  Thanks to David for sending me this one by the way, and we will see if there is any kind of a backlash from the public on this.  Especially if the pirates execute the Chandlers […]

“In Somalia, you know what the threat is: they sees ya, they chases ya, they shoots at ya and they climbs on board. That’s their technique. How do you mitigate that? Well, we’ve got intelligence sources from many recent incidents in the area; after that, it’s training the crew, preparation and reaction. Preparation is all […]

   What’s interesting about this story, is the method that Gus Zamora uses in order to snatch these children, to get them back to their parents.  The planning, the risk of getting arrested in another country, the emotions of the family and the amazing successes of Gus and his company are a fascinating study.  He hasn’t been […]

     I posted the initial story awhile back under ‘paracargo’, with a photo of some cash being dropped to a boat to pay off the pirates.  That part was fascinating to me, but this part of the operation is equally fascinating.  Matter of fact, the whole thing should be a case study at some maritime institute […]

“We have support of the federal forces,” said an official of the dirt-street village. “Security is what we’re lacking.” 
    This is sickening to read.  When a town has to resort to these types of measures to defend themselves from this kind of crime, then you know things are really bad. The protection of this town […]

 How do you pay a pirate’s ransom?
By Robyn Hunter
BBC News
03/12/2008
Pirates in Somalia are making a fortune by hijacking ships and demanding ransoms to set them and their crews free - one official estimates the total this year to be around $150m.
There are conflicting reports about how much they want for the Saudi oil tanker they […]

   This is an interesting one, because Bob has been missing since last year.  I am glad that the FBI is getting involved on this and putting out the word.  Hopefully they will get some movement on this.  It is possible that this could be an isolated case, but more than likely this is a […]