Navy commander admits: no rules on Somalia pirates

NATO warships are in Somalian waters to battle islamic pirates but so far have done nothing to stop them. Partly because they don't know how to deal with the pirates.

I have a tip, aim, shoot and kill. Thats what you do with pirates.Reuters

LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - The commander of a NATO task force on its way to tackle piracy off the coast of Somalia has said he still does not know what the rules are for taking on the high-seas bandits.

U.S. Admiral Mark Fitzgerald said while he was aware of where the pirates were operating, there was little he could do militarily to stop them and that guidelines on how to take them on -- including whether to shoot -- were still in the works.

"You know, I don't think we've gotten the rules of engagement yet from NATO," Fitzgerald told reporters on Monday during a briefing on U.S. naval operations in Europe and Africa.

You don't think? You either have received the ROE or you haven't....

"From a military standpoint, we certainly are limited by what we can do," said Fitzgerald. "How do you prove a guy's a pirate before he actually attacks a ship?

I would think the AK-47s and the RPGs would be a dead give away.