After two hostage rescue operations over the past week that left four Somali pirates dead, pirate leaders have vowed revenge on all those who try to attack them in future.

On Saturday night U.S. Navy SEAL snipers closed in on the lifeboat where Capt. Richard Phillips was being held, killing three pirates in the process.

A fourth pirate had previously surrendered and was being held onboard the USS Bainbridge, the Navy ship from which the operation was launched.

Phillips, who escaped largely unscathed, had been guiding the Maersk Alabama through pirate-infested waters last Tuesday when the 17,000-ton container ship was overtaken. The crew managed to fight off the attackers and escape, but the captain was taken hostage and held inside a nearly impenetrable lifeboat while his captors tried to negotiate a ransom.

In a separate operation on Friday, French commandos took over a yacht on which five French citizens were being held captive. Two pirates and one of the hostages were killed in the shootout.

After news of the killings spread on Sunday, other pirates operating in the area threatened to retaliate in kind. One bandit based in Eyl, a hotbed of pirate activity in lawless Somalia, said that hostages on other foreign ships would be killed if their governments showed any aggression.

The threats have sparked fears for the safety of the 230 or so crew members of a dozen other ships still being held captive, which include a Greek vessel and a cargo ship carrying more than 100 Filipino crewmen.

One self-described pirate leader said that non-maritime targets in Somalia, such as U.S.-based agencies, would also be targeted if an apology was not forthcoming from the American government. He was angry because the U.S. rescue operation commenced while ransom negotiations were underway.

On Monday mortar shells were fired at a plane taking off from Mogadishu airport which was carrying U.S. Congressman Donald Payne. Ironically, Payne was in the country for one day to discuss piracy issues with Somalia’s president and prime minister.

Experts say that the pirates’ brazenness derives from the fact that they have been able to operate with virtual impunity for more than a decade. Somalia is racked by grinding poverty and has not had a fully-functioning government for 17 years, which has led many into piracy as means to make easy money.

And up until now, it was relatively risk-free line of work for the thousands of young men who made a living this way. The vast majority of shipping companies would rather pay ransoms rather than risk the lives of their crew or cargo. There have only been a handful of commando operations in the past where crews have been forcibly rescued.

However, the threat of violence has not stopped pirates from operating in the Gulf of Aden and beyond. Just two days ago an Italian tugboat with 16 crew members on board was seized and is still being held. An Italian warship is currently following the tug and monitoring the situation.

Last year pirates attacked 165 ships in the waters between Yemen and Somalia, and successfully seized 43 for ransom. In just the first three months of this year they have already assaulted 64 ships and have overtaken 19, according to the International Maritime Bureau.

Some worry that the recent events will raise the stakes and make pirates more likely to use force with their captives, who up until now have been treated fairly well by bandits only interested in negotiating large ransoms.

At the same time, U.S. and foreign companies are tired of paying up to $20 million per ship and have been working with government agencies and international organizations to try to come up with better ways to patrol the ocean to ward off future attacks.

By Karen Elowitt for PeterGreenberg.com.

Related links: USA Today, Associated Press, Bloomberg, Reuters

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