WASHINGTON – A 10-day search to rescue two Navy SEALs who went missing in the Arabian Sea during a mission to board a ship and seize Iranian-made weapons has ended and the sailors are now presumed dead, the US military said Sunday.
In a statement, US Central Command said the search had now been converted to a recovery effort. The SEAL’s name has not been released as family notification continues.
Ships and aircraft from the US, Japan and Spain continued to search more than 21,000 square miles, the military said, with help from the Center for Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography, the US Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area Command, the University of San Diego – Oceanography Institute and the Office of Naval Research.
“We mourn the loss of two of our Navy’s Special Warfare heroes, and we will forever honor their sacrifice and example,” said Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command. “Our prayers are with the SEAL families, friends, the US Navy and the entire Special Operations community at this time.”
According to officials, the January 11 raid targeted an unflagged ship carrying illegal Iranian-made weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen. Officials have said that as the team boarded the ship, one of the SEALs drowned in the rough seas, and a teammate went in to try and save him.
An undated photo released by the US military’s Central Command shows what it describes as a ship carrying components for an Iranian-made missile heading to Yemen’s Houthis in the Arabian Sea. AP
Components of an Iranian-made missile headed for Yemen’s Houthis hijacked a ship in the Arabian Sea. AP
The commandos were launched from the USS Lewis B. Puller, a mobile naval base, and they were supported by drones and helicopters. They were loaded onto small special operations warships piloted by navy special warfare crews to get to the boats.
In the raid, they seized various Iranian-made weapons, including cruise and ballistic missile components such as propulsion and guidance devices and warheads, as well as air defense parts, the Central Command said.
It marks the latest seizure by the US Navy and its allies of arms shipments to the rebels, who have launched a series of attacks that now threaten global trade in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Missile components seized include types that may have been used in the attack.
The US Navy eventually sank the ship carrying the weapon after deeming it unsafe, Central Command said. The ship’s 14 crew members were detained.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
