Editing USS Peleliu (section)

===2000s===
[[File:Steel Beach Party.jpeg|thumb|''Peleliu'' at dusk]]
''Peleliu'' departed from San Diego in August 2001 with the [[15th Marine Expeditionary Unit]] on board for a six-month deployment in the Western Pacific. She was in the port of [[Darwin, Australia]] during the [[September 11 attacks]]. Following those attacks, ''Peleliu'' was sent to the [[North Arabian Sea]] and, on 26 November 2001, she took the first [[U.S. Marines]] to Afghanistan as part of [[Operation Enduring Freedom]]. After the American [[Taliban]] [[John Walker Lindh]] was captured in Afghanistan, he was taken aboard ''Peleliu'' on 14 December 2001. There he was interrogated by a U.S. Marine Corps [[military intelligence|intelligence team]]. While he was on board, Lindh signed confessions and he told his interrogators that he was not merely a member of the Taliban, but a full member of [[Al Qaeda]].

Lindh received surgery by the senior [[surgeon]] of ''Peleliu'' to remove a bullet in his leg, and he was also treated for [[frostbite]] on his toes.<ref name="Lawsuit">{{cite web |date=2 April 2002|url=http://news.findlaw.com/cnn/docs/terrorism/us032902opp2licmot.pdf|title=United States of America vs John Phillip Walker Lindh – Criminal No. 02-37-A|publisher=United States District Court|access-date=1 August 2007|author=Paul J. McNulty [[Lawyer|United States Attorney]]|quote= On 14 December 2001, Lindh was taken from [[Camp Rhino]] to the USS ''Peleliu'' where he received the following treatment: 12 days after his US capture in Afghanistan, he was operated on by ''Peleliu''{{'}}s senior surgeon to remove the bullet lodged in his leg; he received daily medical treatment for the bullet wound as well as mild frostbite on his toes; he received various forms of medication including Motrin and Keflex (an [[antibiotic]]). He and his fellow detainees were advised five times per day as to the time for prayer and the brig supervisor called up to the deck to ascertain the location of [[Mecca]] so that he could advise the detainees in which direction to pray. He and his fellow detainees were provided Qurans to facilitate their prayers. He was permitted to shower twice a week and to wash his feet every day. He was given meals and unlimited water, was permitted to talk with his fellow detainees; and he was repeatedly queried by ''Peleliu'' personnel whether there was anything else he needed.}}</ref>

While on deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, in 2004, and as flagship of [[Expeditionary Strike Group One]], a hostile boat was intercepted by warships at sea in the [[Indian Ocean]], and 15 people were detained. An estimated {{convert|2800|lb}} of [[hashish]] was seized by American and Australian warships after the interception of the boat in the North Arabian Sea.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=11265| title= Interrogation of Suspected al Qaeda Affiliates Lead U.S., Australian Navies to Seize More Drugs| date= 2 January 2004| publisher= U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs| access-date= 20 January 2011| url-status=dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070712091527/http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=11265| archive-date= 12 July 2007}}</ref> During this deployment Peleliu was deployed for nine months and supported air strikes into Iraq. Marines from the embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit participated in ground operations in southern Iraq.
[[File:US Navy 050627-N-9866B-009 Amphibious assault vehicles travel through the Pacific Ocean after departing the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA 5).jpg|thumb|left|The [[3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion]] departs ''Peleliu'' during exercises off the coast of [[Hawaii]] in 2005]]
''Peleliu'' steamed to support of the [[Pacific Partnership]] mission from 23 May through 20 September 2007. This mission included medical, dental, construction, and other humanitarian assistance programs on shore and afloat in the Philippines, [[Vietnam]], [[Papua New Guinea]], the [[Solomon Islands]], and the [[Marshall Islands]]. The medical personnel on board ''Peleliu'' included teams from the U.S. Navy and ten other countries, and also from three private assistance organizations.

In 2008, ''Peleliu'' was sent to the Indian Ocean to support [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]], Operation Enduring Freedom, and antipiracy operations. On 10 August 2008, ''Peleliu'' responded to a distress call from a [[merchant ship]], ''Gem of Kilakari'', that was being attacked by armed [[pirate]]s in the [[Gulf of Aden]]. That pirate attack was suppressed with no injuries.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_pirateattack_080808/| title= Navy: Amphib repels pirates|date= 8 August 2008 |agency=Associated Press| access-date=20 January 2011 }}</ref>