Gates: US Lacks Intelligence To Fight Somali Pirates

Gates: US Lacks Intelligence To Fight Somali Pirates

The United States lacks the intelligence needed to pursue the fight against pirates on Somali soil, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday, according to a Reuters report.

His comments came days after the U.S. delegation at the United Nations circulated a draft resolution that would give countries the right to pursue pirates on land as well as at sea.

Analysts say that pursuing pirates on land is crucial to any military response to attacks that have targeted dozens of ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean in recent months.

"With the level of information we have at the moment, we're not in a position to do that kind of land-based operation," Gates told a regional security conference in Bahrain. "Our first need is intelligence, (to know) who is behind it."

Keep reading here -OR- watch this report from Russia Today, "Who will stop the pirates?"

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot