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A search and rescue operation was underway Saturday after two U.S. Navy SEALs fell into the sea while attempting to board a ship off the coast of Somalia, according to current and former officials familiar with the matter.
The incident occurred on Thursday in the Gulf of Aden. The operators were preparing to board the ship in rough seas when one of them slipped from a ladder, these people said. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations.
The missing personnel were not identified and it was not immediately clear which ship they were trying to board or why. US forces regularly work with other nations as part of an anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden. These missions sometimes include boarding ships to ensure they have proper identification or are not transporting illegal materials.
A U.S. official with knowledge of the incident said it had nothing to do with recent U.S.-led attacks in nearby Yemen and the broader international mission to protect merchant ships from militant attacks from there. It also had nothing to do with Iran's seizure of a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker, the official said.
U.S. Central Command, which coordinates military activities in the region, said the missing soldiers were Navy sailors and declined to provide additional information “until the personnel recovery operation is completed.”
Special forces in the region faced difficult counterterrorism missions and other difficult operations. In November, five crew members of an elite aviation unit died in a fueling accident off the coast of Cyprus.
ABC News was the first to report the missing SEALs.