16 December 2008: AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP) — The Pentagon cautioned Tuesday that there were "practical challenges" to taking action against pirates inside Somalia despite having the authority to do so under a new US Security Council resolution.
The resolution, passed earlier Tuesday, gives states a one year mandate to take "all necessary measures that are appropriate in Somalia" to suppress "acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea."
"We welcome the passing of the resolution. We will continue to work with our allies and partners to address this troublesome problem," said Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman.
But he pointed out that US Defense Secretary Robert Gates had raised "some of the practical challenges associated with combating this illegal activity."
At a conference in Manama, Bahrain over the weekend, Gates said better intelligence was needed for action to be taken against pirate camps inside Somalia.
Vice Admiral Bill Gortney, the US Fifth Fleet commander, warned that direct attacks on pirate camps carry a high risk of civilian casualties.
"I see people trying to look for an easy military solution to a problem that demands a non-kinetic solution," he told reporters.
"If you are going to do kinetic strikes into the pirate camps the positive ID and the collateral damage cannot be overestimated. It's very difficult. They are irregulars, they don't wear uniforms," he said.
