U.S Navy patrol coastal ships uss
tempest (PC-2) andUSS Typhoon (PC-5) found
the weapons during a search conducted by
embarked u.s coast guard personnel. The Illicit weapons and ammunition were
later transported to the guided missile
destroyer USS O'kane DDG-77 where they await final
disposition.
The stateless vessel was assessed to
have originated in iran and transited
international waters along a route
historically used to traffic weapons
unlawfully to the houthis in Yemen. The direct or indirect supply, sale or
transfer of weapons to the houthis
violates u.n security council
resolutions and u.s sanctions.
The vessel's five crew members
identified themselves as yemeni
nationals and will be returned to yemen. After removing the crew and illicit
cargo, u.s naval forces determined the
stateless vessel was a hazard to
navigation for commercial shipping and
sank it.
U.S Naval Forces regularly perform
maritime security operations in the
middle east to ensure the free flow of
legitimate trade and to disrupt the
transport of illicit cargo that often
funds terrorism and other unlawful
activity. U.S Navy warships operating in the u.s
5th fleet region have seized
approximately 8700 illicit weapons in
2021.
Guided missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG-61) seized dozens of advanced russian-made
anti-tank guided missiles, thousands of
chinese type 56 assault rifles and
hundreds of PKM machine guns, sniper
rifles and rocket-propelled grenade
launchers from a stateless vessel
transiting the north arabian sea in may.
In february the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) seized a cache of
weapons off the coast of somalia
including thousands of AK-47 assault
rifles, light machine guns, heavy sniper
rifles, rocket propelled grenade
launchers and crew served weapons. The inventory also included barrels, stocks, optical scopes and weapon systems.
The u.s fifth fleet area of operations
encompasses approximately 2.5 million
square miles of water area and includes
the arabian gulf, gulf of oman red sea
parts of the indian ocean and three
critical choke points at the strait of Hormuz, Suez Canal and strait of Bab Al-Mandab.
U.S Naval Forces central Command (NAVCENT) said that it boarded the boat on
december 20th in the north arabian sea, seized the weapons cache and five crew
members who identified themselves as
yemeni before scuttling the vessel. Yemen has been racked by civil war since
2014 pitting iran-backed houthi rebels
against the internationally recognized
government of yemen.
U.S fifth fleet ship seized
approximately 1400 AK-47 assault rifles
and 226,600 rounds of ammunition from a
stateless fishing vessel, a u.s navy
statement wednesday read.
The stateless vessel was assessed to
have originated in iran and transited
international waters along a route
historically used to traffic weapons
unlawfully to the houthis in yemen. The bahrain-based u.s fifth fleet has
seized approximately 8700 illicit
weapons this year.
The united states as well as ally saudi
arabia which is leading the military
coalition backing the legitimate yemeni
government against the pro-iranian
rebels have long accused iran of
supplying the houthis with weapons, a
charge Tarant Denies. The direct or indirect supply sale or
transfer of weapons to the houthis
violates u.n security council
resolutions and u.s sanctions, the u.s
statement added.
The five crew members will be
repatriated, the navy said adding that
the boat was sunk because it was a
hazard for commercial shipping. Riyadh has said that its 2015
intervention in yemen was aimed at
preventing an iranian proxy from taking
power on its doorstep. In recent days fighting in yemen has
seen saudi-led coalition forces carry
out airstrikes on how the targets in the
rebel-held capital Sanaa.
On wednesday the coalition said it
targeted a houthi military camp in Sanaa
and destroyed seven drone and weapon
storehouses, according to the official
saudi press agency.
Earlier this week it targeted Sanaa Airport whose operations have largely
ceased because of a saudi-led blockade
since august 2016 with exemptions for
aid flights. The u.n estimates yemen's war will have
claimed 377,000 lives by the end of the
year through both direct and indirect
impacts. More than 80 percent of the population of around
30 million require humanitarian
assistance.
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