Source-CitizensAmericaParty.org/ Enterprise False Flag Persian Gulf
USS ENTERPRISE SCHEDULED FOR DE-COMMISSIONING IN 2013(PERFECT FALSE FLAG BAIT)
Name: USS Enterprise
Ordered: 15 November 1957
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Cost: $451.3 million[1]
Laid down: 4 February 1958
Launched: 24 September 1960
Christened: 24 September 1960
Acquired: 29 October 1961
Commissioned: 25 November 1961
Decommissioned: Scheduled for 2013
In service: 12 January 1962 (maiden voyage)
Reclassified: CVN-65
Homeport: NAVSTA Norfolk
Status: in active service, as of 2012
USS ENTERPRISE SCHEDULED FOR DE-COMMISSIONING IN 2013(PERFECT FALSE FLAG BAIT)
Name: USS Enterprise
Ordered: 15 November 1957
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Cost: $451.3 million[1]
Laid down: 4 February 1958
Launched: 24 September 1960
Christened: 24 September 1960
Acquired: 29 October 1961
Commissioned: 25 November 1961
Decommissioned: Scheduled for 2013
In service: 12 January 1962 (maiden voyage)
Reclassified: CVN-65
Homeport: NAVSTA Norfolk
Status: in active service, as of 2012
Source-Haaretz.com/Israeli Government admits Iran has no Nuclear Weapons Program
Source-Wikipedia/Little Creek Naval Base
The Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek is the major operating base for the Amphibious Forces in the United States Navy's Atlantic Fleet. The base comprises four locations in three states, including almost 12,000 acres (49 km²) of real estate. Its Little Creek location in Virginia Beach, Virginia totals 2,120 acres (9 km²) of land, though its post office address is in Norfolk. Outlying facilities include 350 acres (1.4 km²) located just north of Fleet Training Center Dam Neck in Virginia Beach, and 21 acres (85,000 m²) known as Radio Island at Morehead City, N.C., used as an amphibious embarkation/debarkation area for U.S. Marine Corps units at MCB Camp Lejeune, N.C.
The mission of the Naval Amphibious Base is to provide required support services to over 15,000 personnel of the 27 homeported ships and 78 resident and/or supported activities. The base's combination of operational, support, and training facilities are geared predominantly to amphibious operations, making the base unique among bases of the United States and Allied Navies.
The Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek is the largest base of its kind in the world.
On October 1, 2009, Little Creek and the Army's Fort Story finished a 2 year merge into one joint base officially named Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.
History
On July 16, 1942, a U.S. Navy truck drove off Shore Drive, the scenic highway along the south shore of the Chesapeake Bay between the resort areas of Ocean View in the City of Norfolk and the small town of Virginia Beach in Princess Anne County. The resort town was located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean several miles south of Cape Henry, at the entrance to the bay.
Near an inlet called "Little Creek" the truck stopped in a waterlogged bean field of the Whitehurst family's farm. For days thereafter, trucks loaded with lumber and equipment rolled into the area in almost continuous succession. The reason for this mass assault in a bean field 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Norfolk was that, early in World War II, Navy planners saw a necessity for landing large numbers of American troops on foreign shores in the face of enemy gunfire. That such operations would be difficult was also evident. New methods and techniques in landing troops would have to be developed. Training would be needed before sufficient men were proficient in the complicated art of the amphibious assault, which would enable U.S. troops to drive to the heart of the enemy.
The base was initially established in the farmland of Princess Anne County. During the early phases of World War II the base was literally a combination of farmland and swamps. Four bases were constructed on this area: Camp Bradford, Camp Shelton, U.S. Naval Frontier Base, and Amphibious Training Base. Camps Bradford and Shelton were named for the former owners of the land.
At first Camp Bradford was a training base for Navy Seabees, but in 1943 it was changed into a training center for the crews of LSTs (Landing Ship Tank).
Camp Shelton was an armed guard training center for bluejackets serving on board merchant ships as gun crews. At the end of World War II it served as a separation center.
The Frontier Base was the forwarding center for Amphibious Force personnel and equipment destined for the European Theater.
The Amphibious Training Base (also known as "Little Creek") was the center for all types of amphibious training and the training of ship's crews for LSM (landing ship medium), LCI (landing craft infantry), and LCU (landing craft utility); LCM (landing craft mechanized), and LCVP (landing craft vehicle, personnel) boat crews were also trained at Little Creek.
At the new bases, the techniques of training had to be developed from scratch. Facilities for the upkeep of equipment as well as living facilities for personnel were primitive. The newcomers found few buildings and practically no roads or utilities. Just bean vines. After various improvisations along came temporary buildings that were later to give the site some resemblance to a naval base.
In a few months the trained men who were to land fighting forces from Africa to Normandy were ready for sea. During World War II over 200,000 Naval personnel and 160,000 Army and Marine Corps personnel trained at Little Creek.
Tenants
[edit]Afloat commands
(As of December 2009)
USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41)
USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43)
USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44)
USS Ashland (LSD-48)
USS Carter Hall (LSD-50)
USS Oak Hill (LSD-51)
USS Tempest (PC-2)
USS Hurricane (PC-3)
USS Monsoon (PC-4)
USS Squall (PC-7)
USS Thunderbolt (PC-12)
[edit]Major shore commands
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group Two
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expeditionary Support Unit Two
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Two
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Six
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Twelve
Naval Beach Group Two
Assault Craft Unit Two
Assault Craft Unit Four
Beachmaster Unit Two
Naval Construction Force
See also: Amphibious Construction Battalion One (ACB-1)
1st Naval Construction Division
Amphibious Construction Battalion Two
Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 202
Naval Special Warfare Group Two
SEAL Team Two
SEAL Team Four
SEAL Team Eight
SEAL Team Ten
Naval Special Warfare Group Four
Special Boat Team 20
Tactical Air Control Group Two
Tactical Air Control Squadron Twenty One
Tactical Air Control Squadron Twenty Two
Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two
Underwater Construction Team One
The mission of the Naval Amphibious Base is to provide required support services to over 15,000 personnel of the 27 homeported ships and 78 resident and/or supported activities. The base's combination of operational, support, and training facilities are geared predominantly to amphibious operations, making the base unique among bases of the United States and Allied Navies.
The Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek is the largest base of its kind in the world.
On October 1, 2009, Little Creek and the Army's Fort Story finished a 2 year merge into one joint base officially named Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.
History
On July 16, 1942, a U.S. Navy truck drove off Shore Drive, the scenic highway along the south shore of the Chesapeake Bay between the resort areas of Ocean View in the City of Norfolk and the small town of Virginia Beach in Princess Anne County. The resort town was located on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean several miles south of Cape Henry, at the entrance to the bay.
Near an inlet called "Little Creek" the truck stopped in a waterlogged bean field of the Whitehurst family's farm. For days thereafter, trucks loaded with lumber and equipment rolled into the area in almost continuous succession. The reason for this mass assault in a bean field 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Norfolk was that, early in World War II, Navy planners saw a necessity for landing large numbers of American troops on foreign shores in the face of enemy gunfire. That such operations would be difficult was also evident. New methods and techniques in landing troops would have to be developed. Training would be needed before sufficient men were proficient in the complicated art of the amphibious assault, which would enable U.S. troops to drive to the heart of the enemy.
The base was initially established in the farmland of Princess Anne County. During the early phases of World War II the base was literally a combination of farmland and swamps. Four bases were constructed on this area: Camp Bradford, Camp Shelton, U.S. Naval Frontier Base, and Amphibious Training Base. Camps Bradford and Shelton were named for the former owners of the land.
At first Camp Bradford was a training base for Navy Seabees, but in 1943 it was changed into a training center for the crews of LSTs (Landing Ship Tank).
Camp Shelton was an armed guard training center for bluejackets serving on board merchant ships as gun crews. At the end of World War II it served as a separation center.
The Frontier Base was the forwarding center for Amphibious Force personnel and equipment destined for the European Theater.
The Amphibious Training Base (also known as "Little Creek") was the center for all types of amphibious training and the training of ship's crews for LSM (landing ship medium), LCI (landing craft infantry), and LCU (landing craft utility); LCM (landing craft mechanized), and LCVP (landing craft vehicle, personnel) boat crews were also trained at Little Creek.
At the new bases, the techniques of training had to be developed from scratch. Facilities for the upkeep of equipment as well as living facilities for personnel were primitive. The newcomers found few buildings and practically no roads or utilities. Just bean vines. After various improvisations along came temporary buildings that were later to give the site some resemblance to a naval base.
In a few months the trained men who were to land fighting forces from Africa to Normandy were ready for sea. During World War II over 200,000 Naval personnel and 160,000 Army and Marine Corps personnel trained at Little Creek.
Tenants
[edit]Afloat commands
(As of December 2009)
USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41)
USS Fort McHenry (LSD-43)
USS Gunston Hall (LSD-44)
USS Ashland (LSD-48)
USS Carter Hall (LSD-50)
USS Oak Hill (LSD-51)
USS Tempest (PC-2)
USS Hurricane (PC-3)
USS Monsoon (PC-4)
USS Squall (PC-7)
USS Thunderbolt (PC-12)
[edit]Major shore commands
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group Two
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expeditionary Support Unit Two
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Two
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Six
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit Twelve
Naval Beach Group Two
Assault Craft Unit Two
Assault Craft Unit Four
Beachmaster Unit Two
Naval Construction Force
See also: Amphibious Construction Battalion One (ACB-1)
1st Naval Construction Division
Amphibious Construction Battalion Two
Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit 202
Naval Special Warfare Group Two
SEAL Team Two
SEAL Team Four
SEAL Team Eight
SEAL Team Ten
Naval Special Warfare Group Four
Special Boat Team 20
Tactical Air Control Group Two
Tactical Air Control Squadron Twenty One
Tactical Air Control Squadron Twenty Two
Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit Two
Underwater Construction Team One
Source-Cryptome.org/Norfolk Naval Base
Source-Wikipedia/Virginia Beach, Virginia
Source-Business Insider
When 32-year-old Jessica Buchanan was kidnapped by her Somalian guides in October of 2011, not many believed she or her partner Hagen Thisted, 60, would ever be seen alive again.
Working for the Danish Deming Group assisting refugees along Somalia's war-torn border, Buchanan and Thisted were seized on their way to the Galkayo airport by pirates outraged at the West.
Jim Miklaszewski at NBC reports the pirates demanded ransom for
Danish Refugee Council
Jessica Buchanan
the pair, but negotiations had stalled as the kidnappers were a heavily armed medley of locals rather than any organized group.
Haunted by the 1993 debacle in Somalia from which the movie Black Hawk Down is based, the U.S. was reluctant to intervene, knowing that any mistakes would cause outrage in the States and more embarrassment abroad.
Putting aside its concern, and prompted by reports that Buchanan's health was declining, the Pentagon ordered a rescue mission and sent two helicopters into the Somalian village last night where the pair were being held, and rescued them both.
The SEALs had parachuted in about 60-minutes prior, securing the area and locating the hostages, before the choppers were sent to pick everyone up — including up to nine pirates and as many as five additional hostages.
Debbie Wilgoren at The Washington Post reports the pirates guarding the pair had been chewing the narcotic leaf khat and were passed out when the SEALs swept in.
No U.S. troops were injured and the pair were apparently in good health, before being taken to a "safe location" to reunite with their families.
It's thought they are currently in Djibouti, where the U.S. has a small base on the coast of the Red Sea and that they will remain there for medical checks before being sent home.
The American people were given their first hint of the rescue during the President's State of the Union Speech when he pointed to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the crowd and said, "Leon. Good job tonight. Good job tonight." Check out 11 incredible weapons that only the U.S. has >
Check out the ABC video below:
Jewish/Arab Controlled Nations of Saudi Arabia, Quatar, United Arab Emirates are getting "Special Training" from U.S. Navy combat specialist, in preparation for Iran Invasion!
When 32-year-old Jessica Buchanan was kidnapped by her Somalian guides in October of 2011, not many believed she or her partner Hagen Thisted, 60, would ever be seen alive again.
Working for the Danish Deming Group assisting refugees along Somalia's war-torn border, Buchanan and Thisted were seized on their way to the Galkayo airport by pirates outraged at the West.
Jim Miklaszewski at NBC reports the pirates demanded ransom for
Danish Refugee Council
Jessica Buchanan
the pair, but negotiations had stalled as the kidnappers were a heavily armed medley of locals rather than any organized group.
Haunted by the 1993 debacle in Somalia from which the movie Black Hawk Down is based, the U.S. was reluctant to intervene, knowing that any mistakes would cause outrage in the States and more embarrassment abroad.
Putting aside its concern, and prompted by reports that Buchanan's health was declining, the Pentagon ordered a rescue mission and sent two helicopters into the Somalian village last night where the pair were being held, and rescued them both.
The SEALs had parachuted in about 60-minutes prior, securing the area and locating the hostages, before the choppers were sent to pick everyone up — including up to nine pirates and as many as five additional hostages.
Debbie Wilgoren at The Washington Post reports the pirates guarding the pair had been chewing the narcotic leaf khat and were passed out when the SEALs swept in.
No U.S. troops were injured and the pair were apparently in good health, before being taken to a "safe location" to reunite with their families.
It's thought they are currently in Djibouti, where the U.S. has a small base on the coast of the Red Sea and that they will remain there for medical checks before being sent home.
The American people were given their first hint of the rescue during the President's State of the Union Speech when he pointed to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in the crowd and said, "Leon. Good job tonight. Good job tonight." Check out 11 incredible weapons that only the U.S. has >
Check out the ABC video below:
Jewish/Arab Controlled Nations of Saudi Arabia, Quatar, United Arab Emirates are getting "Special Training" from U.S. Navy combat specialist, in preparation for Iran Invasion!
Source-Wired.com/U.S. Navy Training Arabs to fight Iran
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran are at a high point, as the Islamic Republic threatens to close off a vital waterway and two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups sit in the seas off the Iranian coast. But across the Persian Gulf, the U.S. has a previously unacknowledged weapon in reserve: a new special operations team.
Danger Room has confirmed with the U.S. Special Operations Command that a new elite commando team is operating in the region. The primary, day-to-day mission of the team, known as Joint Special Operations Task Force-Gulf Cooperation Council, is to mentor military units belonging to the U.S.’ oil-rich Arab allies, who collectively are known as the Gulf Cooperation Council. Those Arab states consider Iran to be their primary foreign threat.
The task force provides “highly trained personnel that excel in uncertain environments,” Maj. Rob Bockholt, a spokesman for special-operations forces in the Mideast, tells Danger Room, and “seeks to confront irregular threats.” The U.S. military has not previously acknowledged the existence of the team, known as JSOTF-GCC for short.
The unit began its existence in mid-2009 — around the time that the Iranian leadership rejected President Obama’s offer of a new diplomatic dialogue and underwent a serious internal challenge to its legitimacy from Green Movement protesters. But whatever the task force does about Iran — or might do in the future — is a sensitive subject with the military.
“It would be inappropriate to discuss operational plans regarding any particular nation,” Bockholt says about Iran.
There is no direct evidence that JSOTF-GCC has been involved in offensive action against Iran. It is unlikely, for instance, that JSOTF-GCC killed Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan last week, an assassination the U.S. has firmly denied any role in and for which the Israelis, reports Eli Lake of Newsweek, are all but openly taking credit.
Some special-operations veterans — who did not wish to be identified or quoted — downplayed the significance of the new task force, expecting it to primarily advise Gulf nations on how to train their own forces, and speculated that its actual role against Iran was indirect at most. Col. Tim Nye, the chief spokesman for the U.S. Special Operations Command, says the task force is responsible “for coordinating all SOF [Special Operations Forces] engagements and training with Gulf Cooperation Council nations.”
The special operations forces of those nations have shown a notable improvement over the past year. Qatari commandos quietly traveled to Libya ahead of Moammar Gadhafi’s downfall to prepare Libyan rebels for the successful capture of Tripoli. The United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally, has also made its elite forces a priority, even hiring Blackwater’s founder to bolster their training.
Not many details are available about the task force. It’s built around Naval Special Warfare Unit Three, one of the elite Navy SEAL teams. But the “Joint” in the task force’s name signals that it draws from the special-operations forces in the Army, Air Force and Marines as well. Its commander is a Navy captain or equivalent in a different service.
Officials would not identify missions of the task force, its leadership or its headquarters, citing the safety of the personnel involved and the success of those missions.
Even if JSOTF-GCC is primarily a training team, it represents another military option for the U.S. in the region during at a time of escalating rhetoric with Iran. The Iranians are threatening to close off the Strait of Hormuz, the sea lane through which a fifth of the world’s oil travels, as two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups float nearby. And when the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says the U.S. could reopen the waterway by force, there might be an elite commando team nearby to help do it.
Danger Room has confirmed with the U.S. Special Operations Command that a new elite commando team is operating in the region. The primary, day-to-day mission of the team, known as Joint Special Operations Task Force-Gulf Cooperation Council, is to mentor military units belonging to the U.S.’ oil-rich Arab allies, who collectively are known as the Gulf Cooperation Council. Those Arab states consider Iran to be their primary foreign threat.
The task force provides “highly trained personnel that excel in uncertain environments,” Maj. Rob Bockholt, a spokesman for special-operations forces in the Mideast, tells Danger Room, and “seeks to confront irregular threats.” The U.S. military has not previously acknowledged the existence of the team, known as JSOTF-GCC for short.
The unit began its existence in mid-2009 — around the time that the Iranian leadership rejected President Obama’s offer of a new diplomatic dialogue and underwent a serious internal challenge to its legitimacy from Green Movement protesters. But whatever the task force does about Iran — or might do in the future — is a sensitive subject with the military.
“It would be inappropriate to discuss operational plans regarding any particular nation,” Bockholt says about Iran.
There is no direct evidence that JSOTF-GCC has been involved in offensive action against Iran. It is unlikely, for instance, that JSOTF-GCC killed Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan last week, an assassination the U.S. has firmly denied any role in and for which the Israelis, reports Eli Lake of Newsweek, are all but openly taking credit.
Some special-operations veterans — who did not wish to be identified or quoted — downplayed the significance of the new task force, expecting it to primarily advise Gulf nations on how to train their own forces, and speculated that its actual role against Iran was indirect at most. Col. Tim Nye, the chief spokesman for the U.S. Special Operations Command, says the task force is responsible “for coordinating all SOF [Special Operations Forces] engagements and training with Gulf Cooperation Council nations.”
The special operations forces of those nations have shown a notable improvement over the past year. Qatari commandos quietly traveled to Libya ahead of Moammar Gadhafi’s downfall to prepare Libyan rebels for the successful capture of Tripoli. The United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally, has also made its elite forces a priority, even hiring Blackwater’s founder to bolster their training.
Not many details are available about the task force. It’s built around Naval Special Warfare Unit Three, one of the elite Navy SEAL teams. But the “Joint” in the task force’s name signals that it draws from the special-operations forces in the Army, Air Force and Marines as well. Its commander is a Navy captain or equivalent in a different service.
Officials would not identify missions of the task force, its leadership or its headquarters, citing the safety of the personnel involved and the success of those missions.
Even if JSOTF-GCC is primarily a training team, it represents another military option for the U.S. in the region during at a time of escalating rhetoric with Iran. The Iranians are threatening to close off the Strait of Hormuz, the sea lane through which a fifth of the world’s oil travels, as two U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups float nearby. And when the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says the U.S. could reopen the waterway by force, there might be an elite commando team nearby to help do it.
Source-Stars and Stripes-"Secretive Seal Team rescues Hostages"...
U.S. special ops team rescues workers from pirates in Somalia
By JOHN VANDIVER
Stars and Stripes
Published: January 25, 2012
Undated images provided by the Danish Refugee Council show Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, left, and American Jessica Buchanan, who were rescued from Somali pirates by U.S. forces.
DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL
STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. special operations forces conducted a nighttime raid into Somalia early Wednesday, rescuing two kidnapped humanitarian workers and killing all nine of their captors, according to U.S. military officials.
“Last night’s mission, boldly conducted by some of our nation’s most courageous, competent and committed special operations forces, exemplifies United States Africa Command’s mission to protect Americans and American interests in Africa,” Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of AFRICOM, said in a statement.
Jessica Buchanan, an American citizen and Poul Thisted, a Danish citizen, both working for a demining unit of the Danish Refugee Council, were transported to a safe location while plans were made to return them home, U.S. officials said. The pair had been held for ransom since October.
While Ham did not specify which service branch carried out the mission, such operations in the past have been carried out by SEALs. The Associated Press, citing unnamed U.S. officials, said the rescue was carried out by the same SEAL unit that conducted the Pakistan raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
The rescue mission was ordered by President Barack Obama, who, before Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, gave a thumbs up to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in an apparent reference to the mission.
The operation, conducted under the direction of AFRICOM, isn’t the first time special operations troops have ventured into Somalia. In 2009, they boarded helicopters and swept into southern Somalia to take out a wanted al-Qaida operative. The military also is believed to carry out occasional drone strikes in the country against high-value terrorist suspects. Even FBI agents entered the country last April to take custody of a pirate suspected of negotiating a ransom for American hostages.
“I think this is another indicator that we are taking that area, the instability around the Horn of Africa, continually more seriously,” said Jim Gavrilis, a former Green Beret and security consultant.
Such operations could become more commonplace, particularly with the successful track record of such missions in recent years, he said. But while policymakers might feel more and more comfortable deploying these forces, there are still risks.
“Any one of these operations has the potential to go bad,” Gavrilis said.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Obama voiced pride in the troops and said the mission should send a message about the willingness of the U.S. to go after groups that target civilians.
“Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces, yesterday Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home. As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts.
“The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice,” Obama said. “This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people.”
U.S. special operations forces received intelligence that placed the humanitarian workers in the vicinity of Adado, Somalia, according to AFRICOM.
“During the course of the operation, the rescue force patrolled to the location and confirmed the presence of Mrs. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted guarded by nine captors,” an AFRICOM news release stated. “All nine captors were killed during the assault.”
After securing the location, the U.S. forces found Buchanan and Thisted unharmed in an outdoor encampment, AFRICOM said.
“This successful hostage rescue, undertaken in a hostile environment, is a testament to the superb skills of courageous service members who risked their lives to save others,” Panetta said in a statement. “This mission demonstrates our military’s commitment to the safety of our fellow citizens wherever they may be around the world. I am grateful to report that there was no loss of life or injuries to our personnel.”
Buchanan and Thisted, who were in Somalia to conduct a demining training course for local Somali citizens, also did not suffer injuries during the operation, Panetta said.
The Danish Refugee Council reported on its website that the two aid workers were on their way to being reunited with their families.
The Associated Press, which made contact with two pirates it said were familiar with details of the operation, reported that the kidnappers holding the aid workers were caught sleeping, having become drowsy while chewing the narcotic leaf qat for much of the night.
“I am extraordinarily proud of the joint-service team that planned, rehearsed and successfully concluded this operation,” Ham said. “Thanks to them, a fellow American and her Danish co-worker are safe and will soon be home with their families.”
vandiverj@estripes.osd.mil
U.S. special ops team rescues workers from pirates in Somalia
By JOHN VANDIVER
Stars and Stripes
Published: January 25, 2012
Undated images provided by the Danish Refugee Council show Dane Poul Hagen Thisted, left, and American Jessica Buchanan, who were rescued from Somali pirates by U.S. forces.
DANISH REFUGEE COUNCIL
STUTTGART, Germany — U.S. special operations forces conducted a nighttime raid into Somalia early Wednesday, rescuing two kidnapped humanitarian workers and killing all nine of their captors, according to U.S. military officials.
“Last night’s mission, boldly conducted by some of our nation’s most courageous, competent and committed special operations forces, exemplifies United States Africa Command’s mission to protect Americans and American interests in Africa,” Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of AFRICOM, said in a statement.
Jessica Buchanan, an American citizen and Poul Thisted, a Danish citizen, both working for a demining unit of the Danish Refugee Council, were transported to a safe location while plans were made to return them home, U.S. officials said. The pair had been held for ransom since October.
While Ham did not specify which service branch carried out the mission, such operations in the past have been carried out by SEALs. The Associated Press, citing unnamed U.S. officials, said the rescue was carried out by the same SEAL unit that conducted the Pakistan raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
The rescue mission was ordered by President Barack Obama, who, before Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, gave a thumbs up to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in an apparent reference to the mission.
The operation, conducted under the direction of AFRICOM, isn’t the first time special operations troops have ventured into Somalia. In 2009, they boarded helicopters and swept into southern Somalia to take out a wanted al-Qaida operative. The military also is believed to carry out occasional drone strikes in the country against high-value terrorist suspects. Even FBI agents entered the country last April to take custody of a pirate suspected of negotiating a ransom for American hostages.
“I think this is another indicator that we are taking that area, the instability around the Horn of Africa, continually more seriously,” said Jim Gavrilis, a former Green Beret and security consultant.
Such operations could become more commonplace, particularly with the successful track record of such missions in recent years, he said. But while policymakers might feel more and more comfortable deploying these forces, there are still risks.
“Any one of these operations has the potential to go bad,” Gavrilis said.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Obama voiced pride in the troops and said the mission should send a message about the willingness of the U.S. to go after groups that target civilians.
“Thanks to the extraordinary courage and capabilities of our Special Operations Forces, yesterday Jessica Buchanan was rescued and she is on her way home. As Commander-in-Chief, I could not be prouder of the troops who carried out this mission, and the dedicated professionals who supported their efforts.
“The United States will not tolerate the abduction of our people, and will spare no effort to secure the safety of our citizens and to bring their captors to justice,” Obama said. “This is yet another message to the world that the United States of America will stand strongly against any threats to our people.”
U.S. special operations forces received intelligence that placed the humanitarian workers in the vicinity of Adado, Somalia, according to AFRICOM.
“During the course of the operation, the rescue force patrolled to the location and confirmed the presence of Mrs. Buchanan and Mr. Thisted guarded by nine captors,” an AFRICOM news release stated. “All nine captors were killed during the assault.”
After securing the location, the U.S. forces found Buchanan and Thisted unharmed in an outdoor encampment, AFRICOM said.
“This successful hostage rescue, undertaken in a hostile environment, is a testament to the superb skills of courageous service members who risked their lives to save others,” Panetta said in a statement. “This mission demonstrates our military’s commitment to the safety of our fellow citizens wherever they may be around the world. I am grateful to report that there was no loss of life or injuries to our personnel.”
Buchanan and Thisted, who were in Somalia to conduct a demining training course for local Somali citizens, also did not suffer injuries during the operation, Panetta said.
The Danish Refugee Council reported on its website that the two aid workers were on their way to being reunited with their families.
The Associated Press, which made contact with two pirates it said were familiar with details of the operation, reported that the kidnappers holding the aid workers were caught sleeping, having become drowsy while chewing the narcotic leaf qat for much of the night.
“I am extraordinarily proud of the joint-service team that planned, rehearsed and successfully concluded this operation,” Ham said. “Thanks to them, a fellow American and her Danish co-worker are safe and will soon be home with their families.”
vandiverj@estripes.osd.mil
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