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Old 09-17-14, 11:13 AM   #1
Aktungbby
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Default Somebody give this gunner the Navy Cross!

Talk about REPEL BOARDERS! 9/6/14; We got lucky this time thanks to one man on a Gatling.... "http://online.wsj.com/articles/al-qaeda-militants-tried-to-seize-pakistan-navy-frigate-1410884514?tesla=y&mg=reno64-wsj
"In the attempted seizure of PNS Zulfiqar, "the rogue officers were in uniform and had their service cards displayed. They simply walked on board," one Pakistani security official said.
Pakistani officials said the frigate was due to sail the same day to join an international naval flotilla in the Indian Ocean. On Aug. 15, Pakistan took over from Britain's Royal Navy the command of Combined Task Force-150, a multinational maritime security coalition that includes the U.S. and is focused on combating terrorism.
"It appears the officers on board were to be joined by other militants who were to arrive by boat from the sea and then stow away on board," the Pakistani security official said. "The plan was to get close to the U.S. ships on the high seas, and then turn the shipboard weapon systems on the Americans." The frigate's weaponry includes an antiship missile system with a range of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles).
The militants' plan was foiled primarily by the alertness of PNS Zulfiqar's gunner. His vigilance was probably sharpened, Pakistani officials said, by the security precautions implemented since recent intelligence led to the arrest of a gang of Uzbek militants planning an attack on Pakistan Navy facilities. Official maps and details of naval facilities were also found on militants captured in the tribal area of Waziristan on the Afghan border four days before the Karachi attack.The militants who were supposed to board PNS Zulfiqar approached the docked ship in an inflatable boat, wearing Marine uniforms.
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The gunner felt they were too close and their weapons appeared to be AK-47s, which aren't standard Marine issue," a Pakistani security official said. "The gunner turned his sights on them and fired a warning shot. The militants, fearing the game was up, also retaliated with rockets and automatic weapons."
At the sound of the firing, Marines and naval commandos rushed to the ship and were engaged by the renegade officers awaiting the militants on the inflatable boat.
While those on board the ship continued to fight it out for a few hours, the ones in the inflatable boat had no chance, security officials said.
The gunner ripped apart the boat with his Gatling antiaircraft gun, killing all six in the boat.
The four rogue naval men were killed aboard the frigate, officials said. The battle ended when the last surviving rogue naval officer—a young Navy sublieutenant—blew himself up after being surrounded.
Pakistani military officials are divided over how much damage could have been accomplished. "Taking over an attack frigate is not a joke, as measures are already in place to face eventualities such as mutiny," one said.
Among those killed on the inflatable boat was former Pakistan Navy Lt. Owais Jakhrani. Officials said he had been recently dismissed for harboring extremist views. He was the son of a serving Karachi police superintendent, and Pakistani intelligence officials believe he played the key role in recruiting naval personnel to al Qaeda.Four other people involved in the attack were later arrested, Pakistan officials say.
"I can neither confirm nor deny the involvement of naval officials," said the Pakistan Navy's spokesman, Commodore Nadeem Bokhari. "All I can say is that four of the attackers were arrested, the attack was successfully prevented and investigations into it are continuing."
Al Qaeda's claim of responsibility includes a photo of what it says are the target U.S. ships—possibly taken earlier by one of the renegade Pakistani naval officers. Al Qaeda's statement also included a diagram of the layout of PNS Zulfiqar.
The attempted strike was initially claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, which works closely with al Qaeda. Then, on Sept. 10, the new al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent issued its own claim.
"The naval officers who had captured the PNS Zulfiqar intended to use it to attack American ships and Marines," said the AQIS statement. "They were ready to render any sacrifice, including carrying out a martyrdom operation and were only prevented by bombardment by the Pakistan Navy." PNS ZULFIQAR:
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