Rain adds misery to Somalia famine! July 31, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: armed security, Chris Mark, gulf of aden, gulf of aden security, InfoSec, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security, somali pirates, Somalia
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Tens of thousands of famine-stricken Somali refugees were cold and drenched after torrential rains pounded their makeshift structures overnight into early Sunday in the capital, leading to appeals for aid.
Aid agencies have limited reach in Somalia where Islamist militants are waging an insurgency against the country’s weak U.N.-backed government.
The most dangerous group among the militants —- the Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab —- has barred major relief organizations from operating in the territories it controls. The U.N. said tens of thousands already have died in Somalia in areas held by the Islamist rebels because food aid could not reach them.
The African Union peacekeeping force fears that al-Shabab may try to attack the camps that now house tens of thousands of famine refugees in Mogadishu, disrupting even further the distribution of food aid. The AU force launched a new offensive Thursday to push the militants’ front line farther back from the camps.
Special Ops chief warns of Al-Qaeda 2.0….Somalia named! July 28, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Armed escort, Chris Mark, gulf of aden, gulf of aden security, InfoSec, maritime piracy, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security, risk management, somali pirates, Somalia
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The top commander of U.S. special operations forces said Wednesday that Usama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda is bloodied and “nearing its end,” but he warned the next generation of militants could keep special operations fighting for a decade to come.
Navy SEAL Adm. Eric T. Olson described the killing of bin Laden by a special operations raid on May 2 as a near-killing blow for what he called “Al Qaeda 1.0,” as created by bin Laden and led from his hideout in Pakistan.
“It will morph, it will disperse,” he said. “It will become in some ways more westernized, (with) dual passport holders” and “fewer cave dwellers,” he said.
Olson said others like al-Awlaki (the American cleric in Yemen) will probably refine their message to appeal to a wider audience, and seek ungoverned spaces to operate from, where they can smuggle in weapons and train their followers. He described how current offshoots like al-Awlaki’s Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen are cooperating with militants in Somalia, who in turn are raising money for terrorist operations via ransoms paid to pirates, describing what he called an “invisible bridge” between the two.
He said the fight against all versions of Al Qaeda could keep U.S. special operations forces deploying at the same pace for another decade, even as U.S. conventional forces draw down from places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Somalia offensive….300 new militants in Mogadishu! July 28, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Uncategorized.Tags: Armed escort, Chris Mark, gulf of aden, gulf of aden security, InfoSec, maritime piracy, Maritime Security, Piracy & Maritime Security, risk management, somali pirates, Somalia
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Heavy fighting broke out in Mogadishu on Thursday. Al-Shabab, Somalia’s dominant militant group, has sent 300 reinforcement fighters to Mogadishu in recent days, said Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda, spokesman for the African Union peacekeeping force.
The African Union force believes that al-Shabab is trying to prevent aid from reaching the tens of thousands of famine refugees who have arrived in Mogadishu this month.
The al-Shabab militants already have killed men who tried to escape the famine with their families, saying it is better to starve than accept help from the West. The World for Food Program says it cannot reach 2.2 million people in need of aid in the militant-controlled areas in southern Somalia because of insecurity.
Somalia has been mired in conflict since 1991 when long time dictator Siad Barre was overthrown by warlords who then turned on each other. Islamist militants led by al-Shabab are attempting to overthrow the weak U.N.-backed government that is being propped up by about 9,000 AU peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi.
The hopelessness that young Somali men are experiencing will only make piracy a more enticing proposition that will ultimately lead to more attacks and greater ships being hijacked.
3 Pirate Attacks Repelled by Armed Guards July 28, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Piracy & Maritime Security.Tags: Chris Mark, InfoSec, maritime piracy, Maritime Security, Somalia
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On July 20th, the oil tanker MT Front Pride was attacked by a skiff with 6 pirates who were successfully repelled by armed guards. The pirates were reportedly armed with machine guns and RPGs. 4 days prior a second ship, the MV Elinakos was attacked by pirates who were dissuaded when a security guard fired. Finally, on July 20th, the Greek owned MV F Blue, a general cargo ship, was attacked by eight pirates in a skiff. Armed security fired warning shots and the pirates were repelled.
Taiwanese Captain Killed by US Ordnance during AP Operations July 24, 2011
Posted by Chris Mark in Piracy & Maritime Security, weapons and tactics.Tags: Chris Mark, gulf of aden, InfoSec, Rudyard Kipling, Somalia
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According to the Taipei times a Taiwanese shipping captain was killed when when the US Navy disabled the JCT 68 with munitions during anti-piracy operations. The ship had been hijacked and used as a pirate “mothership” since March 30, 2010. This post will no go into great detail on this particular event rather let this be yet another example of why it is too late to act AFTER the pirates have taken control of the ship. Rudyard Kipling wrote about the British combat in Afghanistan. His poem the Young British Soldier was intended to provide both insight into the situation as well as direction for young soldiers. One of the last stanzas says:
“When you’re wounded and left on Afghanistan’s plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An’ go to your Gawd like a soldier.
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
Go, go, go like a soldier,
So-oldier of the Queen”
The point of this post is that in some instances being captured by certain people is so horrific that it is likely better to “…go to your Gawd like a soldier” than be captured. I was in Somalia in 1994 and have seen first hand some of the atrocities that people who have been born and lived in a persistent state of combat can inflict upon their fellow man. While this post is not intended to articulate these atrocities I would suggest that whether on the plains of Afghanistan or on a ship being hijacked by Somali pirates, one is better served to take any action possible to keep being placed in their hands.
So what is the answer to the increasingly aggressive and violent pirates? From a tactical perspective it is a comprehensive practice of defense in depth with the final piece being professionally trained and experienced armed guards on ships. Certainly from a strategic level we all want their to be stability in Somalia to deal with the issue but as of right now it is imperative that shipping companies take steps to ensure their crews do not fall into the hands of Somali pirates.
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