The pair of Navy SEALs who went missing during a night mission off the coast of Somalia on Jan. 11 are dead, U.S. Central Command said announced Sunday.
The SEALs were on an interdiction mission and were climbing onto the side of a ship when one fell into the water. The second SEAL appeared behind him. After an “extensive” 10-day search, they could not be found, Central Command said.
“We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors and will forever honor their sacrifice and example. “Our prayers go out to the families of the SEALs, their friends, the U.S. Navy and the entire special operations community at this time,” Gen. Michael Kurilla said in a statement.
As part of the SEALs mission, the elite unit was deployed to intercept a dhow sailboat that was heading towards Yemen. The team found Iranian missile parts that were intended to be delivered to Houthi fighters in Yemen, the group that has been firing on civilian and military ships in the Red Sea for weeks.
The ship was sunk and its crew captured by the SEALs. The operation marked an escalation against Iran in the Yemen conflict after the US and Britain launched joint airstrikes on Houthi targets last week.
Central Command said the search operation scoured over 21,000 square miles of ocean and included support from the Japanese and Spanish navies.
The Houthi fighters have continued their attacks on civilian cargo ships and US warships despite numerous US airstrikes on their positions. The escalation of Yemen's decades-old civil war threatens the global shipping market and could trigger a new regional war in the Middle East.
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