EU Naval Force: Somali Hostage Rescue “Too Risky”
While family members of a South African couple held hostage by Somali pirates since 16 months ago were asking the world community for a rescue operation, an EU naval commander said Monday such a move “would be too risky.”
Fearing the risk of mass casualties, an international counter-piracy force operating off the coast of Somalia has ruled out the possibility of carrying out an armed raid to free 220 seafarers held hostage there, including the South African couple, Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz.
“The main concern is not to put lives at risk. A recovery operation is highly risky,” said Rear Admiral Jorge Manso, the Force Commander of the European Union Naval Taskforce (EUNAVFOR), which has been battling piracy there since 2008.
Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz were probably the longest-held hostages since they were captured by pirates together with their yacht in the Madagascar/Mozambican channel some 16 months ago.
Last week, the EU confirmed its intention to extend the mandate of the counter-piracy mission, code-named Operation Atlanta, until December 2014.
The decision effectively included an extension of the area of operation to include Somali coastal territory and internal waters.
“The decision will enable the operation to work directly with the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and other Somali entities to support their fight against piracy in the coastal areas,” the EUNAVFOR said in a statement on March 23.
EU naval officers said the Somali government has formally written to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, accepting the EU offer for collaboration.
However, speaking days before the new mandate allowing the forces to target Somalia’s land in the operation, the force commander said an operation to free the hostages might be too risky to contemplate at this time.
“We weigh the risks and avoid the possibilities of collateral damage. This is very difficult. We cannot do that for operational reasons,” Manso, of the Spanish navy said.
In February 2011, Somali pirates killed four American yachters, including a couple, Jean and Scott Adam, Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle after firing a rocket at an American warship coordinating the rescue operation.
During that operation, Mohammad Saaili Shibin, was arrested along with 13 others to face an American trial for the crimes.
On Jan. 25, U.S. Special forces also carried out an operation to rescue American and Danish hostages from Somali pirates.
At least nine Somali pirates were killed during the rescue, which raised hopes of a possible British rescue bid for Judith Tebbutt, who was also kidnapped from Lamu, Kenya’ s coast and held hostage for six months.
“The extension of the mandate until the end of 2014 confirms the E.U. commitment to fighting piracy off the Horn of Africa,” said Rear Admiral Duncan Potts, EUNAVFOR Operational Commander.
Manso said if an operation to rescue the 220 hostages were to be undertaken, it would not be a subject of public discussions.
The naval forces in the region have the capability to detect pirate vessels from as far as 2,000 nautical miles, but the naval forces clearly insist a ground offensive to rescue the hostages not freed come 2014, when its mandate expires, was not recommendable.
A French warship under EUNAVFOR command rescued Peter Eldridge, the skipper of the South African yacht on November 7, 2010, several days after the hijacking on October 26, 2010.
He refused to cooperate with the pirates after the hijacking near Madagascar from Tanzania on its way from Kenya.
European diplomats say South Africa has agreed to help in the monitoring of the illegal activity along the Mozambican channel, including illegal fishing.
“Piracy has caused so much misery to the Somali people and the crews of ships transiting the area and it is right that we continue to move forward in our efforts,” Potts said.
Some 2,317 merchant seamen have been held hostage for an average of five months while the longest period of captivity was that of Icerberg1, with a crew of 24 seamen. The Somali pirates have killed at least 60 seamen.
The pirates reportedly amputated the captain’s arm recently to pressurize the owners to pay up a ransom of three million U.S. dollars. The pirates are holding nine ships in captivity.
Xinhua