Word: distressingly
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...moving equipment or people by sea or planning a maritime attack. But with its attention focused on stopping terrorists, the U.S. Navy has been hesitant about pursuing pirates who roam the area. Commander Jeff Breslau, a U.S. Navy spokesman in Bahrain, says coalition forces will help ships in distress but "the focus is not on piracy or maritime crime...
...Mahalingam alerted his chief officer, and turned the ship to starboard. But before he could issue a distress signal, three fiberglass speedboats with powerful outboard motors had pulled alongside the Semlow, a 58-m cargo boat often chartered by the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) to ship aid to Africa's neediest. The pirates hooked a small metal ladder to the ship and scrambled aboard. "There were 15 to 20 men wearing shorts and T shirts," remembers Mahalingam. The boarders were barefoot but carrying pistols, AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades. The pirates rushed to the bridge where, in halting...
...maritime attack. The reduced number of pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden is a "side effect of Operation Enduring Freedom," says Commander Dirk Gross at the German Defense Ministry in Berlin. Commander Jeff Breslau, a U.S. Navy spokesman in Bahrain, says that coalition forces will help ships in distress but that "the focus is not on piracy or maritime crime." The increased naval presence in the Gulf of Aden may have caused the escalation in attacks further south. Leo van der Velden, the WFP's deputy country director for Somalia, says that over the past few years, pirates from...
...unrelated chores. The Revenue Cutter Service was established by Alexander Hamilton to collect taxes from a brand new nation of patriot smugglers. When the officers were out at sea, they were told to crack down on piracy; while they were at it, they might as well rescue anyone in distress. They made their first drug bust in 1890. Over the years, the Coast Guard fought the maritime "rum wars" during Prohibition, saved tens of thousands of Cuban refugees and became the nation's lead oil-spill cleanup unit. Now the Coast Guard is supposed to protect the nation...
...waits for help to arrive, he directs his men not to shoot wildly at the shadows flitting through the battle chaos. "Dammit! It's civilians mixed with enemy," he shouts into his radio. "Make sure they're carrying guns before you engage." The Air Force has responded to his distress call by sending over a B-52 bomber, which could flatten the entire village, killing plenty of civilians. Turner gets on the radio again and implores the bomber crew to hold fire. After making a few passes and dropping flares, the warplane streaks away. Eventually Afghan police turn...