The Somali government says it supports the U.S. military operation that
freed two Western aid workers who had been held hostage in the
war-ravaged country.
In a statement released Thursday, Somalia's transitional government said
the rescue of Jessica Buchanan, an American, and Poul Thisted, a Dane,
was a “great joy” to “right-thinking people everywhere.”
Buchanan and Thisted were rescued Wednesday when U.S. special forces
attacked the kidnappers' camp northwest of Mogadishu, killing nine of
them.
The Somali government praised the operation, saying that “hitting them
hard” is the only language that kidnappers, pirates, and terrorists
understand.
The government also said it would do everything it can to assist in the
release of other hostages held in Somalia.
Buchanan and Thisted worked for a Danish humanitarian group that helps
clear land mines and other explosives in conflict zones in Africa and
the Middle East. They were kidnapped in October in the central Somali
city of Galkayo.
The freed woman's brother Stephen Buchanan said the mission was going
well until about three months ago.
“Someone from their own team turned against them, divulged information
that made them susceptible to being kidnapped.”
The
Somali government said its people “could have no better friends,” and
praised Buchanan and Thisted for “risking their lives” to help make the
country safe for children.
The Pentagon said Wednesday that Buchanan is being cared for at a
military hospital, reportedly in Djibouti. Officials said the operation
was carried out in part because of reports that her health had been
failing.
Officials say armed criminals, or pirates, appear to be responsible for
the kidnapping. Somali pirates have increasingly carried out land-based
kidnappings as foreign governments have boosted security on the high
seas.
Several abductions for ransom have been carried out in Somalia and
northern Kenya during the past several months. An American man was
kidnapped near the Galkayo airport last week.
