Obama Praises Pirate Rescue Operation

President Vows U.S. Effort To Decrease Piracy; Pirates Hold 230 Hostages From Other Countries

(CBS/AP)  President Barack Obama pledged Monday that the U.S. would seek to halt the increasing threat of piracy off the Horn of Africa.

Mr. Obama also praised the military's successful efforts to rescue merchant Capt. Richard Phillips, who had been held hostage there for several days by pirates.

"His safety has been our principle concern," the president said in his first remarks in public on the five-day standoff that ended Sunday with Phillips' release. Mr. Obama spoke at an unrelated Transportation Department event involving the economic stimulus initiative.

In a sharp warning to increasingly brazen pirates operating off the coast of lawless Somalia, Mr. 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."

"We have to continue to be prepared to confront them when they arise, and we have to ensure that those who commit acts of piracy are held accountable for their crimes," the president said.

One day after Navy SEAL snipers killed the three pirates holding Phillips, Mr. 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 U.S. military and many other departments and agencies that worked tirelessly to resolve this situation," Mr. Obama said. "I share our nation's admiration for Captain Phillips' courage and leadership, selfless concern for his crew."

Mr. Obama called Phillips' courage "a model for all Americans" and said he was pleased with the rescue, but added the United States still needed help from other countries to deal with piracy.

Earlier, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whiteman told reporters the successful end to the standoff could discourage future attacks on commercial ships sailing the Indian Ocean.

But some penalties previously taken in such situations failed to deter lawlessness on the high seas, he acknowledged.

Senior law enforcement official tell CBS News correspondent Bob Orr it is expected that the captured Somali pirate will be brought to the U.S. to face charges.

Also Monday, an American sailor involved in the incident with Somali pirates urged President Obama on Monday to take the lead in ending the scourge of piracy.

Somali pirates, meanwhile, vowed retaliation for the deaths of three colleagues killed by U.S. Navy snipers in the rescue. Their anger raised fears for the safety of some 230 foreign sailors still held hostage in more than a dozen ships anchored off lawless Somalia.

"From now on, if we capture foreign ships and their respective countries try to attack us, we will kill them (the hostages)," Jamac Habeb, a 30-year-old pirate, told The Associated Press from one of Somalia's piracy hubs, Eyl. "(U.S. forces have) become our No. 1 enemy."

Shane Murphy, chief mate aboard the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, urged Mr. Obama to focus more attention on the issue.

"It's time for us to step in and put an end to this crisis," he said. "It's a crisis, wake up."

Sunday's nighttime operation was a remarkable achievement for snipers on a rolling warship in choppy seas, but few experts believe the victory will quell a rising tide of attacks in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

The stunning resolution came after pirates had agreed to let the USS Bainbridge tow their powerless lifeboat out of rough water. A fourth pirate surrendered earlier Sunday and could face life in a U.S. prison. He had been seeking medical attention for a wound to his hand, military officials said.

Interviewed from Bahrain, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command chief Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said Navy SEAL snipers killed three pirates with single shots shortly after sailors on the Bainbridge saw the hostage-takers "with their heads and shoulders exposed."

U.S. Defense officials said snipers got the go-ahead to fire after one pirate held an AK-47 close to Capt. Richard Phillips' back. The military officials asked not to be named because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the case.

The SEALS arrived on the scene by parachuting from their aircraft into the sea, and were picked up by the Bainbridge, a senior U.S. official said.

He said negotiations with the pirates had been "going up and down." The official, asking not to be identified because he, too, was not authorized to discuss this on the record, said the pirates were "becoming increasingly agitated in the rough waters; they weren't getting what they wanted."

Just as it was getting dark, pirates fired a tracer bullet "toward the Bainbridge," further heightening tensions, the official said.

News of Phillips' rescue caused his crew in Kenya to break into wild cheers and brought tears to the eyes of those in Phillips' hometown of Underhill, Vermont, half a world away from the Indian Ocean drama. It was not immediately known when or how Phillips would return home.

Appearing on CBS' The Early Show, Captain James Staples, a friend and former classmate of Richard Phillips at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, said the willingness of the captain of the Maersk Alabama to risk his own life to protect his crew did not surprise him at all.

"It's an amazing feeling to know that Richard's now safe. I can't even explain how happy I was when I heard this great news," Staples said.

Sunday's blow to the pirates' lucrative activities is unlikely to stop them, simply because of the size of the vast area - 1.1 million square miles - stretching from the Gulf of Aden and the coast of Somalia. But it could raises tensions in an already lawless area.

"This could escalate violence in this part of the world, no question about it," said Gortney.