Two U.S Sailors Missing off Coast of Somalia During Operation

Defense News , Red Sea :- Two navy sailors from the US 5th Fleet are missing at sea near Somalia, according to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM). The incident occurred on Thursday evening during their operations off the coast of Somalia.

For security reasons, CENTCOM is not sharing additional details until the personnel recovery operation is complete. In consideration of the affected families, no further information on the missing sailors is being released at this time.

The US 5th Fleet's area of operations covers about 2.5 million square miles, including the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and parts of the Indian Ocean. This vast region, involving 21 nations, features crucial points like the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal, and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb.

Recently, the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) cautioned all ships to avoid Bab al-Mandab due to a potential threat, lasting several days, as reported by tanker body INTERTANKO.

CMF, led by the US from Bahrain, where the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet is based, consists of 39 members, including NATO, European states, regional countries, and others.

In a separate event, US forces targeted a Houthi radar site in Yemen to weaken the group's ability to attack maritime vessels. The strike, conducted by the USS Carney using Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, was a follow-up to actions taken on Jan. 12 to degrade the Houthi's capacity to target maritime vessels, including commercial ones, as per the statement from the U.S. Central Command.