Rescue in Somalia

Call them what you will - pirates, members of an armed gang, common criminals or militants - they're no longer holding an American woman and a Danish man captive in the wilds of Somalia. For that, Americans are amply justified in applauding the U.S. military action that rescued the kidnapped pair.

Jessica Buchanan of Ohio and Poul Thisted of Denmark are alive, while their captors are not, thanks to a daring raid by the same Navy SEAL unit that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan last May. This week's action involved parachuting by night onto the Somali desert, marching to the kidnappers' compound, killing nine Somalis in what is being described as a firefight, rescuing the two hostages and flying away to safety by helicopter.

It was a complex operation, carried out far from the usual bases of American power overseas. All those involved - from the men who performed the mission, to the planners in the Pentagon, to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and President Barack Obama, who gave the final go-ahead - are to be congratulated.

Any attempt to rescue hostages held by armed fanatics is risky. This week's mission, undertaken only after negotiations proved fruitless and Buchanan's health began to deteriorate in captivity, could have ended badly - and in the future some similar attempt may do so. If and when that happens, the rescuers' courage will be just as deserving of praise, and the American commitment to protect citizens abroad should remain as enduring. It's a dangerous world, but it will be more dangerous if the bad guys get their way.