Blackwater Steps Up to Take on Somali Pirates

As Somalia seeks private help in battling its piracy problem, security contractor Blackwater has offered its services, Wired reports. “As a company founded and run by former Navy SEALs, with a 50,000-person database of former military and law enforcement professionals, Blackwater is uniquely positioned to assist the shipping industry,” the company said in a statement.

The US Navy has said it lacks the resources to protect every vessel in the area after some 100 incidents this year. And Blackwater is looking for work, as its role protecting diplomats and business executives in Iraq seems to be winding down. Hired hands have joined the fight against piracy in the past, with mixed results.
(More Somalia stories.)