The United States is sending more warships to monitor a hostage crisis in the Indian Ocean and 450 km off the Somali coast, officials said on Friday.
The guided missile frigate USS Halyburton, with helicopter capabilities, has now joined the guided missile destroyer USS Bainbridge in that area, unnamed U.S. defense officials were quoted as saying by CNN.
A third ship, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, which has a large medical facility on board, will be there within a day.
Two days after the U.S.-flagged cargo ship Maersk Alabama was attacked by pirates, the ship's captain Richard Phillips is still being held by the pirates in a lifeboat.
With the rest of the 21 American crew members on board, Maersk Alabama is heading to Kenya under the escort of a U.S. security team, but the pirates in the lifeboat showed no sign of give-in during the standoff with U.S. warships.
Philips tried to escape from the pirates on Thursday night by jumping out of the lifeboat, apparently trying to swim to the USS Bainbridge, which is in communication with the four pirates in the lifeboat.
Some of the kidnappers jumped into the water, recaptured Phillips, and returned him to the lifeboat, according to U.S. officials.
The escape attempt is being viewed by U.S. negotiators as an "optimistic sign" that Phillips is in good health.
The Pentagon believes the pirates are not connected to any terror network.
Pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa, largely due to the overwhelming poverty and political instability in the region, have risen in recent months.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Thursday that "the safe return of the captain is the top priority. We obviously have a naval presence in the area and other assets, and we are obviously looking at our options. But again, foremost in our minds is the safety of the captain."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the hijackers "nothing more than criminals."
"Piracy may be a centuries-old crime, but we are working to bring an appropriate 21st century response ... the State Department has been in the lead in helping to put together an international task force," she said.
U.S. President Barack Obama has been "following the situation closely," according to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, and the president's main concern is "the safety of the captain and the rest of the crew on the ship."
Source: Xinhua
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