WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama promised yesterday that the United States would seek to halt the increasing threat of piracy off the Horn of Africa.
Obama also praised the military’s successful efforts to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips, who had been held hostage there for several days by pirates.
“His safety has been our principal concern,” the president said in his first public remarks on the five-day standoff that ended Sunday with Phillips’ release.
In a sharp warning to increasingly brazen pirates operating off the coast of lawless Somalia, Obama said: “I want to be very clear that we are resolved to halt the rise of piracy in that region and to achieve that goal, we’re going to have to continue to work with our partners to prevent future attacks.”
One day after elite Navy snipers killed the three pirates holding Phillips, Obama said he knew the cargo ship captain’s safe return was a “welcome relief” to the man’s family and crew. “I’m very proud of the efforts of the US military and many other departments and agencies that worked tirelessly to resolve this situation,” Obama said.
A Somali pirate chief, meanwhile, threatened to target Americans in revenge for the killing of the pirates. Abdi Garad, the head of the pirate group that had held Phillips hostage, said the pirates had agreed to free him without ransom before the US Navy took action.
“The American liars have killed our friends after they agreed to free the hostage without ransom ... this matter will lead to retaliation and we will hunt down particularly American citizens sailing our waters,” Garad said by phone from the pirate lair of Eyl. “Next time we get American citizens ... they (should) expect no mercy from us.”
The threat raised fears for the safety of some 230 foreign sailors still held hostage.
