US Navy seizes load of rifles smuggled from Iran to Yemen
Navy officials say the sea drones deployed by the Fifth Fleet's experimental Task Force 59 are contributing to their ability to monitor Middle Eastern waterways, but won't credit the units with enabling any specific seizures just yet.
The US Navy seized a shipment of 2,116 AK-47 assault rifles smuggled aboard a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman on Friday.
The crew of the coastal patrol ship USS Chinook discovered and seized the cache along a maritime route typically used for trafficking weapons from Iran to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet said in a statement on Tuesday. The USS Monsoon and guided missile destroyer USS The Sullivans provided support during the boarding and search.
The US Navy said six Yemeni nationals were found to have crewed the fishing vessel. It remains unclear what became of them, though the United States has typically handed over Yemeni smugglers to the Yemeni government in the past.
Why it matters: The capture is part of an uptick in seizures by the United States in Middle Eastern waters over the past year.
