kidnapping of American in Somalia-- where was the Protective Security Detail

PSDs are important. More so in lawless Somalia where one cannot trust

• the Federal Government
• Pirates
• Rebel Fighters
• Just about anybody, with or without a gun

The Somali pirates have scored another goal by kidnapping what must be the Western hemisphere's biggest prizes-- an American. We estimate the kidnappers will ask for about 5M USD and above.
NGOs as well as non-NGOs who are in Somalia without supplying some sort of security details to their staff and management in addition to their convoys are simply irresponsible and naive.

The American in this case was identified as
Jessica Buchanan of Rosslyn Virginia, USA

We do hostage rescues in Africa.
Call on us.

~~~

State Department Confirms Kidnapping of U.S. Citizen in Somalia

Published October 26, 2011

| FoxNews.com

•  

• 
  AP
  African Union peacekeepers are seen in the Deynile district of the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011.

A U.S. citizen has been kidnapped in northern Somalia, the U.S. State Department confirmed Wednesday. 

"We remain concerned about the individual's safety and well-being. We are working with contacts in Kenya and Somalia to ascertain further information and have been in contact with the individual's family to provide appropriate consular assistance. The United States condemns kidnappings of any kind, and we call for the immediate release of all of the victims involved. Due to the privacy laws, we have no further information at this time," the department said in a statement. 

Gunmen have abducted a 32-year-old female American aid worker in northern Somalia along with a Danish and a Somali colleague as their convoy headed to the airport. The kidnappings come only weeks after four Europeans were seized by suspected Somali gunmen in neighboring Kenya.

A self-proclaimed Somali pirate said that pirates had captured the three on Tuesday. The captors would not harm the three but will want a ransom for their release, he said. The claim could not be independently verified.

The three employees work for the Danish Demining Group, whose experts have been clearing mines and unexploded ordnance in conflict zones in Africa and the Middle East.

"As a first priority, we have been concentrating on the ongoing investigations. We are keeping close contact with the family members, who are deeply concerned, just as we are," said Ann Mary Olsen, head of the Danish Refugee Council's international department.

Activities of the Danish Refugee Council, which runs the Danish Demining Group, have been suspended in the area. The group provided no other details and asked media outlets "to respect the need for confidentiality as investigations are ongoing."

A Nairobi-based security official said the demining group was traveling in a three-car convoy, including one vehicle of armed guards, but that the guards did not resist the kidnapping.

The three are believed to be on their way to a former pirate stronghold on the Somali coast, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Ahmed Mohamed, a police officer in the Somali town of Galkayo, said the aid workers had been heading to the airport when they crossed into a southern section of the city that is under clan control. The northern section of Galkayo is under the control of the semiautonomous region of Puntland.

Two Nairobi-based officials said the American woman is 32 and the Danish man is 60. The woman is a former school teacher, one official said.

Bile Hussein, the self-proclaimed pirate, said the three were abducted with the help of "insiders." Hussein has provided reliable information about pirate activities in Somalia to The Associated Press in the past. He said that capturing ships off East Africa is becoming harder -- ships are using stronger self-defense measures -- so pirates are looking for other ways to earn ransoms.

"They are now on the way to Gan town, and we shall treat them humanely and kindly. Our aim is all about a ransom, not harming them," Hussein said.

Christian Friis Bach, Denmark's minister for development cooperation, told Danish broadcaster DR that the demining group was working to help Somalis.

"That's why it's both sad and tragic that they have been struck by this kidnapping, and I hope their strong network and a collected effort also by the Foreign Ministry can resolve the situation quickly.," he said.

The kidnapping comes only weeks after the seizure of two women working for Doctors Without Borders from a refugee camp in neighboring Kenya, as well as the kidnappings of two European tourists from Kenya's coast -- one of whom later died. Somali gunmen were suspected in those attacks.

Kenya has sent at least 1,600 forces into southern Somalia to attack Al Qaeda-linked militants in response to those kidnappings, though it's not clear whether the al-Shabab fighters were responsible for the abductions.

The northern semiautonomous province of Puntland is generally considered more stable than most of the rest of Somalia, which is riven between pirate gangs, Islamist insurgents and militias and the weak U.N.-backed government in the capital. It has not had a functioning central government for the last 20 years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/10/26/state-department-confirms-kidnapping-us-citizen-in-somalia/?test=latestnews#ixzz1bxgE1fzS