HUNT FOR 2 NAVY SEALS
Reported missing Thursday off Somalia coast in Gulf of Aden
Search-and-rescue operations continued Saturday in an effort to locate two Navy SEALs who went missing off the coast of Somalia, said the Defense Department’s Central Command.
The SEALs reportedly were on a nighttime interdiction mission, climbing up the side of a ship as part of a plan to intercept weapons.
Officials said one of the SEALs fell into the water and the other SEAL jumped in after them, following protocol for when such an incident occurs.
“On the evening of Jan. 11, two U.S. Navy sailors were reported missing at sea while conducting operations off the coast of Somalia,” Central Command said in a release.
“Out of respect for the families affected, we will not release further information on the missing personnel at this time,” officials added.
The SEALs’ weapons interdiction effort was in support of a wide variety of missions in the Gulf of Aden region.
While the U.S. Navy has conducted operations aimed at seizing weapons en route to Yemen, officials say the operation in which the SEALs went missing was unrelated to U.S. and British strikes in Yemen in recent days, or to ongoing Operation Prosperity Guardian, in which the U.S. and other nations are working to protect shipping in the Red Sea.
The SEALs’ mission was also unrelated to Iran seizing the oil tanker St. Nikolas, on Thursday, another U.S. official added Saturday.
The U.S. and U.K. missile strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen reported Friday came after weeks of warnings to the rebels to halt their attacks on commercials vessels in the Red Sea. The U.S. had previously been hesitant to launch an attack, over concerns that it could trigger a wider conflict in the region.