Somali Pirates Reduce Ransom Demand To $8M

African Rogues Initially Wanted $20M For Hijacked Ukrainian Ship Containing Russian Weapons

(AP)  A Somali pirate on a hijacked cargo ship transporting tanks reduced the ransom Tuesday to $8 million, but it was unclear if he was speaking officially for the bandits holding the Ukrainian vessel.

A man who identified himself as Jama Aden and spoke by satellite phone Tuesday is not the usual spokesman for the pirates. He answered the telephone of the spokesman, Sugule Ali, and said Ali was not immediately available.

"There are high hopes we will release the ship within hours if they pay us $8 million," Aden told The Associated Press. "The negotiations with the ship owners are going on well."

The pirates originally demanded $20 million.

Aden said a small boat was resupplying the vessel with food and qat, a narcotic leaf popular in Somalia. "The crew is doing well," he added.

Six U.S. warships are surrounding the Faina, which was hijacked late last month with 21 crew on board. Officials in Moscow say the ship's Russian captain died of a heart condition soon after the hijacking nearly two weeks ago.

A Russian frigate also is headed toward the standoff. The U.S. Navy warships have been tracking the ship amid fears its weapons might fall into the hands of al Qaeda-linked insurgents in Somalia.

The Faina's hijacking, the most high-profile this year, illustrates the ability of a handful of pirates from a failed state to menace a key international shipping lane despite the deployment of warships by global powers. More than two dozen ships have been hijacked off Somalia's coast this year.

Somalia's government has given foreign powers the freedom to use force against the pirates, raising the stakes significantly. Russia, whose warship is not expected for several days, has used commando tactics to end several hostage situations on its own soil, but hundreds of hostages have died in those efforts.

Somalia, a nation of around 8 million people, has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991 and then turned on each other. A quarter of Somali children die before age 5 and nearly every public institution has collapsed. Fighting is a daily occurrence, with violent deaths reported nearly every day.

Islamic militants with ties to al Qaeda have been battling the government and its Ethiopian allies since their combined forces pushed the Islamists from the capital in December 2006. Within weeks of being driven out, the Islamists launched an insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians.

Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Ahmed Jama said the government wants world powers to coordinate their approach to Somalia's violent insecurity.

It is not an issue "that is going to go away. There are a number of dimensions, whether it is pirates, whether it is humanitarian issues, whether it is counterterrorism," Jama said at a news conference in Kenya's capital.

[runningralph]

Displeased,
I looked up Egyptyian crime statistics. There were over 3.5 million convictions in a relatively small country. This doesn''t take into account many things that are considered a crime in the US but are legal under Islam. Honor killings, slavery, drug dealing, even being assaulted for not obeying religious tenets. These acts would be considered crimes in the US. Not so by Islamics. Islam authorizes crimes against infidels. They love death. bin Laden said so.
The crime rate in the US is high. Much of it stems from drug trade. Much of the drugs come from Afghanistan where drug trading is just another business.
The war against Islamic jihad is serious. Don''t be quick to give aid and comfort to the enemy.

[displeased]

The deaths in other areas are mostly caused by heart disease, cancer, auto accidents and old age. Only in Islamic areas is the death rate from violence so high.
Posted by runningralph

I''m talking about deaths from violence. People are murdered around the world everyday that have nothing to do with muslims. The crime rate in the US is much higher than that in the prominently Islamic Egypt.

Now take lawless areas like Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, you''ll find violence. It''s not because they are muslims, it''s because these areas are lawless. If the US became lawless, we would have the same type of violence.

[runningralph]

The most pirate attacks occur in the Malacca Straits between Sumatra and Singapore. The population in Sumatra is over 80% Islamic. Islam authorizes crimes against infidels.
The poster "Displeased" asks if deaths in other parts of the world are caused by Muslims. No, they are not. The deaths in other areas are mostly caused by heart disease, cancer, auto accidents and old age. Only in Islamic areas is the death rate from violence so high. To quote Osama bin Laden " You fear death,we love death"

[displeased]

The religion of peace? If a Muslim is involved, chances are that someone dies. Why is that?
Posted by ToolMangler

So all the people that die everyday in the US, Mexico, Europe, China, etc...are victims to muslims?

[swingset4u]

Why is it when an airliner is hijacked and governments just shoot it out of the sky? Do the same here. Sink the frikkin thing, recover what you can and be done. Oh wait! hold out for a little bit longer and you may only have to pay gas for the pirates to make it back to shore.

[toolmangler-2009]

Islamic militants with ties to al Qaeda have been battling the government and its Ethiopian allies since their combined forces pushed the Islamists from the capital in December 2006. Within weeks of being driven out, the Islamists launched an insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians.




The religion of peace? If a Muslim is involved, chances are that someone dies. Why is that?

[babooph]

Keep showing those Somalis-we need to dee our future in the States after the full Bush presidency-his methods were needed or some other bldg could have been destroyed[or not] -WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY & IT IS US!!

[jankebenz]

Do you get the feeling that the closer the Russian war ships get the lower the price tag will be??

By the time the Russian ship reach visual range the ransom will be a 12 pack and a pizza.

The Russians will not be very PC in resolving this problem.

Posted by Questionnews at 04:48 PM : Oct 07, 2008

You may be right,but if the U.S took care of the problem before the russians arrived,they would score some much needed brownie points.

[questionnews]

Do you get the feeling that the closer the Russian war ships get the lower the price tag will be??

By the time the Russian ship reach visual range the ransom will be a 12 pack and a pizza.

The Russians will not be very PC in resolving this problem.

[jankebenz]

we got to do this nice and gentle as NOT to invoke the wrath of the bleeding heart "pro-terrorist" liberals..
Posted by libluv2cnsor

I''''m sure you would feel differently if you were the hostage.

Posted by Displeased at 04:22 PM : Oct 07, 2008

And I,m sure the bleeding hearts would change their tune if they were the victims of terrorist activities.
The hostages are most likely locked in a room, and a small group of trained commandos could take care of these low life thieves with a surprise attack. Nothing like a bunch of jailed or dead pirates to convey a strong message of example to others.

[displeased]

we got to do this nice and gentle as NOT to invoke the wrath of the bleeding heart "pro-terrorist" liberals..
Posted by libluv2cnsor

I''m sure you would feel differently if you were the hostage.

[libluv2cnsor]

Whats the holdup, board the ship with a group of commandos and retake the vessel.Arrest or shoot the pirates, whatever it takes and make them an example for other pirates.


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Posted by jankebenz at 04:05 PM : Oct 07, 2008
+ report abuse



*****

we got to do this nice and gentle as NOT to invoke the wrath of the bleeding heart "pro-terrorist" liberals..

[nobdehom]

Pirates on the Ocean...so believable...what they didn''t do very well trying to extort on dry land? Bomb''s away... if anyone gives into these lowlifes demands we will have copycats to deal with afterwards or on to the next for the same successful slime!

[jankebenz]

Whats the holdup, board the ship with a group of commandos and retake the vessel.Arrest or shoot the pirates, whatever it takes and make them an example for other pirates.

[easeup-2009]

ARRRRRGH!!!!!!! 8 MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF RUM!!!!!!

AVAST YE MATEYS!!!!!!!!!!!1

[downtowner97]

Poison their qat!

[zoopster1]

Haha... we should offer the pirates a better deal. Instead of $8mil, we promise them they won''t be run down and shot like dogs if they give up immediately. Guantanamo will seem like Club Med compared to what the Russians will do to them when they get there.