Two Navy SEALs Missing in Action after Attempted Pirate Boat Interdiction off the Coast of Somalia

Thursday - January 18 2024, 03:39 UTC - 10 months ago

Two US Navy SEALs have gone missing after falling overboard during an attempted pirate boat interdiction off the coast of Somalia. The pirates were allegedly carrying Iranian missile parts and have a history of smuggling weapons between Somalia and Iran. The SEALs may have had equipment to aid in their search and rescue, but there is speculation that they may have been killed during the mission.

Two US Navy SEALs have gone missing in action off the coast of Somalia following an attempted pirate boat interdiction, ABC News reports. The SEALs were deployed from the USS Lewis B. Puller, a Navy expeditionary sea base vessel, when one fell overboard during rough seas at around 8 pm local time on January 11. A second Seal jumped in to help his colleague, a standard protocol under such circumstances. Both are still missing, and the Navy is currently still searching for them.

The pirates were aboard a Somali dhow and, according to ABC News, may have been carrying Iranian medium-range Iranian ballistic missile parts intended for delivery to Houthi rebels in Yemen. A dhow is a sailing vessel with one or more masts and settee or lateen sails, commonly used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. The boat was recognized by patrolling US Navy vessels as one with a history of smuggling illegal weapons between Somalia and Iran.

An anonymous US official told the Associated Press that the crew on the dhow, which did not have a country flag, were planning to transfer the missile parts, including warheads and engines, to another boat off the coast of Somalia. The team boarding the small boat was facing about a dozen crew members. The crew members who were taken into custody had no paperwork, which allowed a search of the vessel. The weapons were confiscated, and the boat was sunk, a routine procedure that usually involves blowing open holes in the hull.

American officials have stated that the Gulf of Aden has warm waters, and Navy SEALs are equipped to handle such situations. On Monday, the search for the missing individual involved using Navy ships, helicopters, and drones. The US Navy has frequently conducted missions in the area to prevent illegal activities, such as intercepting weapon shipments destined for the Iranian-supported Houthis in Yemen.

According to officials, Business Insider reports, the SEAL mission was not connected to "Operation Prosperity Guardian," an ongoing international mission to safeguard commercial vessels in the Red Sea. If rumors are true about the dhow's cargo, this would contradict such statements. It is also timely given other news regarding a US jet fighter dowing a Houthi-fired missile on Sunday. The missile, an anti-ship cruise missile, was fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels at a US Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the Red Sea, the US military said.

Missing or killed in action? .

There is much speculation as to why the two SEALs are still missing, as they tend to have various pieces of equipment to help aid in search and rescue. One example is personal locator beacons, water-activated rescue lights, dye markers, and other gear. They presumably were also wearing life vests and thermal protection gear, though no official statements have been made on such matters.

This lack of information may be explained by the fact that the two Navy SEALs in question were sadly killed during the action. However, this is purely speculation at this point.