Danish forces free 25 people from pirates

Danish special forces were able to board a ship that had been captured by Somali pirates Friday and freed the crew of 25.

Danish special forces were able to storm a ship that had been hijacked by Somali pirates on Friday. This was the first time that a warship had been able to intervene during a hijacking. Early Friday the vessel Ariella sent out a distress signal and the Danish warship Absalon was able to confirm the presence of pirates along with having the ability to communicate with the ship's crew to ensure their location and safety. According to NATO spokesman, Lt. Col. Wolfgang Schmidt, "Once NATO forces were absolutely sure that the crew on-board were safe and not going to be caught up in any cross fire, the decision was made to send in the specialist teams." While the Danish forces released the crew, the nearby Russian Navy boarded and detained pirates aboard a second skiff. Cmdr. John Harbour, spokesman for the European Union Naval Forces, praised the NATO forces saying taht there have been many times where three, four or five nations have helped deter a pirate attack. This instance was different according to Harbour, "This is the first where a warship has been able to send forces to stop a hijacking while it was in progress." Denmark hardly ever discloses information concerning their elite forces. It is possible that the conflict was carried out by the Danish Frogman Corps. The Danish Navy released a statement saying, "There is an operation going on down there and we're involved. It is still going on right now.