The U.S. navy has ended an “exhaustive” 10-day search and rescue mission for 2 Navy SEALs who went lacking on Jan. 11 within the waters of the Gulf of Aden and are actually presumed deceased, in line with a brand new assertion from U.S. Central Command.
The navy is conducting restoration operations for the service members, CENTCOM mentioned Sunday evening.
“We mourn the lack of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we’ll eternally honor their sacrifice and instance. Our prayers are with the SEALs’ households, associates, the U.S. Navy, and the complete Special Operations neighborhood throughout this time,” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM’s commander, mentioned within the assertion.
Military officers mentioned that the U.S., Japan and Spain used air and naval assets and “searched greater than 21,000 sq. miles” for the lacking SEALs, scouring the gulf off the coast of Somalia — to no avail.
“Out of respect for the households, no additional info will probably be launched right now,” CENTCOM mentioned.
The two SEALs went into water in mid-January throughout a nighttime boarding mission to interdict a dhow suspected of carrying Iranian-made weapons for Houthi militants in Yemen, navy officers have mentioned.
Dhows are small fishing or cargo vessels which might be typically utilized by Iran to smuggle weapons.
As a small Navy craft approached the dhow on Jan. 11, one of many SEALs fell into tough waters and, following protocol, a second SEAL dove into the water in a rescue try, in line with officers.
The remainder of the SEALs continued with the mission on the dhow and seized Iranian-made ballistic and cruise missile components and warheads much like these being utilized by the Houthis in additional than 30 assaults on industrial vessels within the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, officers mentioned.
The Houthis have mentioned their assaults are in response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza because the Israelis goal Hamas fighters as retaliation for Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack.
For years, the U.S. Navy has intercepted dhows within the Gulf of Aden which might be suspected of carrying Iranian-made weapons to the Houthis.
During these missions, boarding groups sometimes pull apart the dhows in small water craft to undertake a “flag verification” mission if the dhow is unflagged or has changed its flag to masks its smuggling.
The seizure involving the SEALs was the primary because the Houthis started their strikes, most of which have been repelled by U.S., French and British warships.
The SEALs have been working from the USS Lewis B Puller, an expeditionary sea base and transformed freighter topped with touchdown decks for helicopters and able to releasing small watercraft.
“In the wintertime, the ocean state is usually 8-12 ft,” mentioned Eric Oehlerich, an ABC News contributor and retired SEAL commander. “The horizon is flat, so 8-12 ft is 8 ft above the flat horizon — after which eight ft, it is like a 16 foot wave.”
According to Oehlerich, these high-water situations improve the chance to nighttime ship boardings, that are carried out in pitch-black darkness.
He described it as one of the tough missions {that a} SEAL can undertake, requiring fixed coaching.
“You have the chance of your boat capsizing in shut proximity to bigger vessels, you need to set up a stable ladder level, you need to climb a ladder at evening over the open ocean between two ships — they’re smashing into one another — after which get on board,” he mentioned.
“And then your drawback begins with what you are going to do … with whomever is on board that boat,” he added.
The Jan. 11 seizure additionally marked the primary time since November 2019 that the U.S. Navy has taken Iranian-made ballistic missile and cruise missile parts believed to be headed for the Houthis.
The navy mentioned the 14 mariners aboard the dhow have been taken off the vessel and are in U.S. custody, although their future standing stays to be decided.
After they have been taken off the dhow, the vessel was deemed unsafe and sunk by naval forces.
