South Korean commandos operating thousands of kilometres from home have carried out a daring raid, rescuing the crew of a freighter hijacked by heavily-armed Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean.

After a cabin-to-cabin gun battle the special forces team killed eight of the pirates and captured five of them.

South Korea's president has praised his commandos, saying it is a sign that his country will not tolerate anything that threatens the lives of its people - a warning intended to be heard all the way to Pyongyang.

They struck before the first light of dawn, with a team of navy commandos scaling the sides of the chemical freighter covered from the air by sharp shooters in a helicopter.

They had warned the Somalis to surrender but the pirates, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades had refused.

South Korean Lieutenant General Lee Seong-ho says fighting from cabin-to-cabin, the South Korean special forces overwhelmed the pirates in minutes.

"We have captured five pirates alive and killed eight. Unfortunately one of our commandos was injured, but not critically," he said.

"We have rescued all 21 crew members of the freighter. It was a perfect military operation."

The South Korean freighter had been hijacked a week ago after the leaving Sri Lanka for the United Arab Emirates.

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ORIGINAL: popeye1250

You mean they didn't "take them prisoner" and bring them to Seoul for a "trial?"
Oh, and if any of them were "minors" fly their parents over and put them up in a nice hotel with three meals a day compliments of the S. Korean Taxpayers and take care of any dental/medical problems while they're there of course!

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ORIGINAL: rulemylife

You mean like the conservatives on here who were accusing Obama of ordering the Seals to heartlessly kill those misguided Somalian teenagers that were holding the captain of the Maersk Alabama at gunpoint?

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

quote:

ORIGINAL: rulemylife

You mean like the conservatives on here who were accusing Obama of ordering the Seals to heartlessly kill those misguided Somalian teenagers that were holding the captain of the Maersk Alabama at gunpoint?

You've been called on this lie before, RML. Why do you keep telling it?

quote:




Mercnbeth Fantastic to see no talk and shooting in the head! Especially good to see some who frown upon capital punishment welcome the judgment and execution of these men, rumored to be as young as 15 years old. However better dead than imprisoned and tortured in Gitmo, huh?

Good to see the "talk to our enemies, to understand them and make them our friends" disclosed as just campaign rhetoric.

Wonder if he called President Bush first, or just used the playbook he left behind, moving from the chapter about 'Economic Stimulus' to 'Killing US Enemies of Any Age'?

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ORIGINAL: flcouple2009

rml,

Stop now it's not fair picking on the ill. 

Firm, Pops, and Rich all suffer from a severe case of Internet Alzheimer's.  They just can't remember that this stuff once posted doesn't just disappear. 

Maybe we should hold a telethon and raise money to find a cure. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

You've been called on this lie before, RML. Why do you keep telling it?

quote:

ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda

I have no idea what you two are slapping each other on the back and cackling about. The quote that RML posted supports his assertion very nicely.