Two Navy Seals Missing Off Somali Coast After Nighttime Boarding Mission

There has been more bad news to come out of the already chaotic waters of the Middle East region, as over the weekend it’s been widely reported that two US Navy Seals have gone missing off the cost of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden.

The missing Seals “fell into the water during a nighttime boarding mission” on Thursday, according to US military officials, with the incident only being disclosed this weekend after the search and rescue mission has yielded no results. The fact that they went overboard in the dark would make it very hard for rescuers to immediately locate them.

Illustrative: US Navy/Military.com

The search and rescue mission is said to be ongoing, but given the vastness of these waters, each day that passes makes it less likely that they survived.

According to military statements printed in The Associated Press: 

A U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not yet been made public, told the Associated Press the missing SEALs were on a mission not related to Operation Prosperity Guardian, the U.S. and international mission to provide protection to vessels in the Red Sea.

The SEALs were on an interdiction mission, the official said, when one of them fell off a ship after high waves hit the vessel, prompting another SEAL to go after him to attempt a rescue.

The Seal boat had reportedly been headed toward a suspicious vessel off the Somali coast when the elite operators went overboard.

The Gulf of Aden has become dangerous for commercial vessels and tankers due to Somali piracy, which in the last couple decades has remained a significant problem and danger. 

The New York Times issued further details as follows:

Navy ships and aircraft were immediately dispatched to the scene, where search and recovery efforts have been underway, the officials said. The military’s Central Command noted the rescue operations in a statement on Friday, but made no mention of the sailors being members of a SEAL team or any details of the incident.

Military officials have started the process of notifying the families of the commandos involved in the episode, a former official said.

Somali militants have long threatened these waters, but given that the bulk of diverted Red Sea traffic must now travel via the Cape of Good Hope around Africa due to ongoing Houthi attacks, this could result in an increase of maritime traffic nearer the Somali coast, leading to more ‘opportunity’ and ample potential targets for piracy.