US Navy sailors missing in Somalia’s coast

Two US Navy sailors have gone missing on Somalia’s coast, authorities in America report, with the Central Command saying robust actions have been taken to search and rescue them, but it is not clear what might have happened to them.

According to the statements, search and rescue operations were activated on Friday. Somalia’s coastline is usually infested with pirates and at times Al-Shabaab militants, who have been fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government.

Additional details, including the ship the sailors were on or their names, have not yet been released. The sailors were forward-deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet, according to the statement, and have been manning the Indian Ocean and parts of the Red Sea.

"On the evening of January 11, two U.S. Navy Sailors were reported missing at sea while conducting operations off the coast of Somalia. Search and rescue operations are currently ongoing to locate the two sailors," read the statement. "For operational security purposes, we will not release additional information until the personnel recovery operation is complete."

"Out of respect for the families affected, we will not release further information on the missing personnel at this time. The sailors were forward-deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet (C5F) area of operations supporting a wide variety of missions," it further read.

The U.S. has been operating more ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden over the last two months following a steady stream of attacks from Houthi forces in Yemen starting on Oct. 17.

The incident comes a few months after cases of piracy were reported in Somalia’s coastline, with the US warning against the possible resurgence of piracy within Somalia. For a decade, piracy has significantly reduced in Somali waters after the international community took action.

GAROWE ONLINE