After the grenade was fired at the Sterett, several pirates came on deck with their hands raised, as if trying to surrender, Fox said. The gunfire erupted on board almost immediately. But U.S. officers said it was not known whether the hostages had made an escape attempt or whether disagreements among the pirates prompted the firing.
“I can presume inside the vessel there was a lot of small-arms fire,” Fox said, but he noted that the Special Forces team did not have to fight its way onto the yacht.
As the Special Forces team cleared the vessel, it discovered two pirates who already were dead. Another two were killed by U.S. personnel, one by gunfire and one by a knife, Fox said.
Not good, and rest in peace to these fallen hostages. It seems to me that these pirates are taking on a more violent approach. I will not speculate as to what happened out there that led to the pirates killing their hostages, and we will see from future reports as to the details. Until then, CENTCOM has made their statement on the matter.
The other thing that grabbed my attention was the mention of a SEAL (I am assuming that US Personnel would be a SEAL) who killed a pirate with a knife? Wow, that is some close quarters combat if you have to use a knife. Although sometimes a knife would be the best tool for the job on a small vessel that has cramped and hidden quarters. If someone pops out quickly, getting your gun on them might take too much time. Instead, there might have been a fight and once some minor distance was gained in the battle and the SEAL could have pulled out a pig sticker to take care of the problem. Who knows and I am sure more will follow in future reports on this? –Matt
DOD News Briefing with Vice Adm. Fox via Telephone from Bahrain on Somali Piracy Aboard the S/V Quest
Official: Four Americans killed by pirates on hijacked yacht
Knife quote from the LA Times
U.S. forces respond to gunfire aboard the S/V Quest
U.S. forces respond to gunfire aboard the S/V Quest
CENTCOM Public Affairs
TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2011) — At approximately 1 a.m. EST today, while negotiations were ongoing to secure the release of four American hostages, U.S. forces responded to gunfire aboard the pirated vessel (S/V) Quest. As they responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest, the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors. Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds.
“We express our deepest condolences for the innocent lives callously lost aboard the Quest,” said Gen James N. Mattis, U.S. Central Command Commander.