Found this item in a newsletter for Merchant Marine Officers. Am surprised it didn't get more attention in the mainstream media.
WALL STREET JOURNAL: TERRORISTS TRIED TO SEIZE PAKISTAN FRIGATE TO ATTACK U.S. NAVY VESSELS
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sept. 17 that Al Qaeda militants tried to hijack a Pakistan Navy frigate. The raid was reportedly carried out Sept. 6 in part by Pakistan Navy personnel. Ten terrorists and one petty officer died in the attack. A Western counterterrorism official said that the intended target could have been an American naval supply ship deployed in the Indian Ocean. Details of the attack on the frigate, PNS ZULFIQAR, are still emerging.
The Pakistan Navy works with the United States and other maritime nations to fight terrorism, piracy and drug smugglers in the Indian Ocean. On Aug. 15, Pakistan took over from Britain's Royal Navy the command of Combined Task Force-150, a multinational maritime security coalition that includes the United States. "This attack raises a lot of questions," said a Western counterterrorism official who was quoted in The Wall Street Journal article. "If we are to work with the Pakistan Navy, we have to be able to trust them."
In the attempted seizure of PNS ZULFIQAR, "the rogue officers were in uniform and had their service cards displayed. They simply walked on board," the Wall Street Journal reported. Pakistani officials said the frigate was due to sail the same day to join an international flotilla in the Indian Ocean.
"It appears the officers on board were to be joined by other militants who were to arrive by boat and then stow away," a Pakistani security official said. "The plan was to get close to the U.S. ships on the high seas and then turn the shipboard weapon systems on the Americans."
The plan was foiled primarily by the alertness of a gunner aboard PNS ZULFIQAR. Some of the militants approached the docked ship in an inflatable boat, wearing Marine uniforms, as is normal for Navy harbor patrols. The gunner felt they were too close and noted that their weapons appeared to be AK-47s, which aren't standard Marine issue, a Pakistani security official told the journalists. The gunner turned his sights on the approaching inflatable and fired a warning shot. The militants retaliated with rockets and automatic weapons. Marines and naval commandos rushed to the ship and were engaged by the group of officers turned terrorists already on board. The fight continued for several hours.
The terrorists in the inflatable boat were immediately eliminated by the gunner, who deployed his Gatling antiaircraft gun, decimating the boat and killing all six. Four militants who were naval personnel were killed aboard the frigate. The battle finally ended when the last rogue naval officer blew himself up. Here is a situation in which "one ship's security person questioning something that seemed odd and taking action avoided what could have been a major terrorist attack," commented a U.S. naval officer.
To read the Wall Street Journal article, go to Al Qaeda Militants Tried to Seize Pakistan Navy Frigate - WSJ. The WSJ reporters who worked on the story were Syed Shoaib Hasan, Saeed Shah and Siobhan Gorman.
Gatling Gun vs Zodiac launch would make for interesting video clip.
Tks, Kevin
WALL STREET JOURNAL: TERRORISTS TRIED TO SEIZE PAKISTAN FRIGATE TO ATTACK U.S. NAVY VESSELS
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on Sept. 17 that Al Qaeda militants tried to hijack a Pakistan Navy frigate. The raid was reportedly carried out Sept. 6 in part by Pakistan Navy personnel. Ten terrorists and one petty officer died in the attack. A Western counterterrorism official said that the intended target could have been an American naval supply ship deployed in the Indian Ocean. Details of the attack on the frigate, PNS ZULFIQAR, are still emerging.
The Pakistan Navy works with the United States and other maritime nations to fight terrorism, piracy and drug smugglers in the Indian Ocean. On Aug. 15, Pakistan took over from Britain's Royal Navy the command of Combined Task Force-150, a multinational maritime security coalition that includes the United States. "This attack raises a lot of questions," said a Western counterterrorism official who was quoted in The Wall Street Journal article. "If we are to work with the Pakistan Navy, we have to be able to trust them."
In the attempted seizure of PNS ZULFIQAR, "the rogue officers were in uniform and had their service cards displayed. They simply walked on board," the Wall Street Journal reported. Pakistani officials said the frigate was due to sail the same day to join an international flotilla in the Indian Ocean.
"It appears the officers on board were to be joined by other militants who were to arrive by boat and then stow away," a Pakistani security official said. "The plan was to get close to the U.S. ships on the high seas and then turn the shipboard weapon systems on the Americans."
The plan was foiled primarily by the alertness of a gunner aboard PNS ZULFIQAR. Some of the militants approached the docked ship in an inflatable boat, wearing Marine uniforms, as is normal for Navy harbor patrols. The gunner felt they were too close and noted that their weapons appeared to be AK-47s, which aren't standard Marine issue, a Pakistani security official told the journalists. The gunner turned his sights on the approaching inflatable and fired a warning shot. The militants retaliated with rockets and automatic weapons. Marines and naval commandos rushed to the ship and were engaged by the group of officers turned terrorists already on board. The fight continued for several hours.
The terrorists in the inflatable boat were immediately eliminated by the gunner, who deployed his Gatling antiaircraft gun, decimating the boat and killing all six. Four militants who were naval personnel were killed aboard the frigate. The battle finally ended when the last rogue naval officer blew himself up. Here is a situation in which "one ship's security person questioning something that seemed odd and taking action avoided what could have been a major terrorist attack," commented a U.S. naval officer.
To read the Wall Street Journal article, go to Al Qaeda Militants Tried to Seize Pakistan Navy Frigate - WSJ. The WSJ reporters who worked on the story were Syed Shoaib Hasan, Saeed Shah and Siobhan Gorman.
Gatling Gun vs Zodiac launch would make for interesting video clip.
Tks, Kevin
Reminds me of watching Millionaire with my late wife and her mother. Geography questions were greeted with loud cries of "Oh no, geography. Better ask the foreigner".
