Thursday, November 27, 2008
India: Islamic Retaliation for Lawful Action Against Somali Pirates?
by Charles W. Fairbanks
This Thanksgiving Day while we are eating turkey and stuffing and watching the Philadelphia Eagles get trounced by Denver, one of our allies is on the brink of all-out war with radical Islam. The Indian Navy has taken lawful action to protect maritime commerce in the Gulf of Aden from the Somali Pirates (above right). Is the Muslim terrorist attack on Mumbai (above left) retaliation for India’s defense of shipping. MFP pities the fool that underestimates the Indian military.
I am thankful for many things this Thanksgiving, but I am mindful of the fact that one of America’s greatest allies is in the crosshairs of terrorist aggression. India is a booming democracy and ancestral home to millions of patriotic Americans. India is our ally. Today our ally is fighting a two front war.
India is the only nation of note to oppose the Somali pirates with the only thing that terrorists understand, force. In recent weeks, the Indian Navy has used force to protect international shipping. On November 11, 2008, pirates hijacked a 38,265-ton bulk carrier, owned by the Great Eastern Shipping Company 60 nautical miles east of Aden. The Indian Naval Ship Tabar, then 25 nautical miles away from the spot, transported Indian marines to the ship for a rescuce.
The Indian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden from October 23. A naval ship, with a contingent of marine commandos and helicopters on board, has been sent to the port of Salalah in southern Oman. The government of India has been negotiating with middle eastern governments to help protect trade.
The Somali pirates are backed by the terrorist group Al-Shabaab. The United States State Department has designated Al-Shabaab as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. Al-Shabaab recruits jihadists and has as one of its goals the institution of sharia worldwide.
Sound familiar? Sound like Al Quaeda?
As the Hotel Taj Mahal in Mumbai burns in the fire of confrontation with terrorists, intelligence officers struggle to discover the identity of the aggressors of Mumbai and the identity of their allies. MFP thinks that the forces of good should consider whether there is a link between Mumbai and the Horn of Africa. In the meantime, our ally is in the crosshairs, but I pity the fool that underestimates the Indian military. The bad guys may be in for a rude awakening.
